Canadian census controversy
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Date taken | May 10, 2011 (official census day) |
| Total population | 33,476,688 |
| Percent change |
 5.9% |
| Most populous province/territory | Ontario |
| Least populous province/territory | Nunavut |
The Canada 2011 Census is a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population on May 10, 2011. Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, conducts a nationwide census every five years. In 2011, it consisted of a mandatory short form census questionnaire and an inaugural National Household Survey (NHS), a voluntary survey which replaced the mandatory long form census questionnaire; this substitution was the focus of much controversy. Completion of the (short form) census is mandatory for all Canadians, and those who do not complete it may face penalties ranging from fines to jail time.
The Statistics Act mandates a Senate and/or House of Commons (joint) committee review of the opt-in clause (for the release of one's census records after 92 years) by 2014.
The 2011 Census is the fifteenth decennial census and is required by section 8 of the Constitution Act, 1867. As with other decennial censuses, the data was used to adjust federal electoral district boundaries.
As of August 24, 2011, Canada's overall collection response rate was 98.1%, up over a full percentage point from 96.5% in the 2006 Census.Ontario and Prince Edward Island each hold the highest response rate at 98.3%, while Nunavut holds the lowest response rate at 92.7%.
In an article in the New York Times in August 2015, journalist Stephen Marche argued that by ending the mandatory long-form census in 2011, the federal government "stripped Canada of its capacity to gather information about itself" in the "age of information." Nearly 500 organizations in Canada, including the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Catholic Council of Bishops protested the decision to replace the long form Census in 2011 with a shorter version.
Statistics Canada had projected that Canada's population would reach 36.5 million people in 2015. The official population was one million less.
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