Saying "Yes" to the census
The first documented census conducted in the region eventually known as Canada occurred in 1666, undertaken by New France’s Intendant Jean Talon. That measuring of data kicked off a 345-year tradition.
Census statisticians always aggregate and present the results of the material in various forms. According to Concordia Archivist Emerita Nancy Marrelli, “A census is a statistical snapshot of our country and of us, its people. It not only provides information about current conditions that is essential for policy, planning, and program development; it also eventually provides valuable archival information about who Canadians were and how we lived.”
Beyond the number crunching done as information is collected, the raw data has traditionally been released 92 years after it is collected. This allows for “associated research on all kinds of things not imagined by statisticians when it was collected,” says Marrelli. For instance, data gathered at the turn of the last century might not present information on gender or race in a way that would interest historians or other researchers today. Similarly information collected now may be viewed through an entirely different lens in 2103.
2006 was the first time census respondents were asked to consent to the release that had been automatic before. Only 56 per cent of Canadians agreed. This makes little more than half of the 2006 census information available to future historians. Marrelli argues that the value of census data comes from its completeness. Without access to the full breadth of available information, future generations will be forced to rely on historically uneven census data that is scarcely better than no data at all.
She argues that by calling attention to the release of the information, without explaining that this has been the common practice in the past and the advantages of this information for future researchers, politicians have privileged the concerns of a relative few over the benefits of many.
She also stresses that census information is not shared between government bodies, so concerns about Revenue Canada finding out about income are unfounded. Ultimately, in an age of Google, Facebook and smartphones, there are plenty of other opportunities to have individual privacy breached.
For these reasons, Marrelli is encouraging Canadians to commit their information to the benefit of the future Canadian public. Question 10 of the 2011 Census asks respondents whether they will allow their census responses and family histories to become available in 2103 as “part of the historical record of Canada.” She hopes more Canadians will say “Yes.”
“Census data is crucial for public policy decision-making but it’s also important for humanities and social science research, and it is sometimes even used in legal claims. Long-term census data allows us to research economic and social patterns and trends.”
Related link:
• Census 2011