I heard a rumour it is that time again. CENSUS.

Questions abound. DO I really HAVE to do this? How much info is the LEAST I can give?

It seems to me census is a ‘head count’ only as mandatory. How many people live at this address? ANY other info is voluntary. Provide ANY other piece of info and you volunteer for the whole thing. From what I’ve heard, trying to complete it online traps you into answering more questions. So you can request the paper copy be delivered to your address to complete the ONLY mandatory part, ‘how many people live there’. That’s my opinion after doing my research, including what is below. Decide for yourself after getting a little more edu-macation. (It’s probably the exact same for other countries, do your research).

Thanks to SueWrongdoers.com for allowing us to repost their past Post from 2016 on census. Enjoy.

[It’s that time again. CENSUS. This Post was originally published 2016 – the principles remain the same some of the details may have changed, do your confirmation research. Two mandatory answers ‘number of people living at an address’ and the single agriculture question]

The PR machine is is full swing to convince hapless, helpless, uninformed, Canadians to hand over lots of personal, private information OR face fines and imprisonment. Yay freedom.

Did you know they sell YOUR compiled data and make millions?

Did you know only two questions are in fact mandatory for people to provide?

Some folks are celebrating that the census is now mandatory, unlike before. Uh really? Nothing but half truths and mis-direction…

I can’t find any new sections in the Act actually create a mandatory-answer-every-question-on-the-form that did not exist before. They must be the people who benefit from the data being sold but I don’t see it in the Act, they are just screaming the claim out loud MANDATORY EVERYTHING…when in fact… that is not true.

A quick review of the Statistics Act leaves me unconvinced that ALL the info being requested is required to be provided…just like before, the “census” portion of the questionnaire is head count ONLY and one Agriculture question. that’s ALL that is mandatory. every other question appears to be part of a voluntary

All other information falls under the “voluntary basis” because “Census of population” is ONLY how many people live in this location, a literal headcount with no other required info (forget the agriculture and business references for normal folk).

Voluntary surveys

8 The Minister may, by order, authorize the obtaining, for a particular purpose, of information, other than information for a census of population or agriculture, on a voluntary basis, but where such information is requested section 31 does not apply in respect of a refusal or neglect to furnish the information.

So, the “census of population or agriculture” is indicating that all other information is on a “voluntary basis” where Section 31 does not apply. Section 31 is the punishment for failing to provide or refusing to provide the specific mandatory information.

They Want You to Believe that the Word “Census” Means the Whole Form

Reading their FAQ page does not clearly answer the question about what is mandatory and what is not or does it? They only ever say “census…” is mandatory, they never refer to all the “other information and statistics” (which is technically not the legal census but additional info) they are asking about. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/survey/faq#a3

Do I have to participate?

Participation in the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture is mandatory pursuant to the Statistics Act. All Canadian households must complete a Census of Population questionnaire.

Propaganda that misrepresents the law – sound familiar? It is a very popular tactic and most people buy it hook-line-and-sinker.

False or unlawful information

31 Every person who, without lawful excuse,

(a) refuses or neglects to answer, or wilfully answers falsely, any question requisite for obtaining any information sought in respect of the objects of this Act or pertinent thereto that has been asked of him by any person employed or deemed to be employed under this Act, or

(b) refuses or neglects to furnish any information or to fill in to the best of his knowledge and belief any schedule or form that the person has been required to fill in, and to return the same when and as required of him pursuant to this Act, or knowingly gives false or misleading information or practises any other deception thereunder

is, for every refusal or neglect, or false answer or deception, guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both.

1970-71-72, c. 15, s. 29.

As a side note, this is a Canada census and relates to population of residents of Canada not the provinces…does Canada exist as as a lawful geographic, physical area or a legal/political fiction. That is a whole other conversation.

Counts of electoral divisions

(2) The census of population shall be taken in such a manner as to ensure that counts of the population are provided for each federal electoral district of Canada, as constituted at the time of each census of population.

CBC Propaganda article

Canada’s Census Is Back And Canadians Are Losing Their S**t

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/05/03/canadas-census-is-back-an_n_9829320.html

http://www.census.gc.ca/ccr16_r000-eng.html

Message from the Chief Statistician

By law, your household must complete a Census of Population questionnaire. Under the Statistics Act, agricultural operators are required to complete the Census of Agriculture. Your answers are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act and will be kept strictly confidential.

The information that you provide may be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes or may be combined with other survey or administrative data sources.