The CES President, Benoît Gauthier, wrote the following letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, regarding the mandatory Census long-form questionnaire.

December 2, 2014

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister:

In 2010, the Canadian Government decided to interrupt the 40-year history of the mandatory Census long-form questionnaire, and to replace it with a voluntary survey. Since that time, the Canadian Evaluation Society has expressed serious concern about this decision. Expected repercussions of this decision have either materialized or constitute Damocles swords over the head of all politicians, public sector managers, policy makers, researchers, companies, not for profit organizations, and private citizens across Canada.

The Canadian Evaluation Society is the oldest professional association focussed on evaluation in the world; it is dedicated to the advancement of evaluation theory and practice. Evaluation is the systematic investigation of the quality and worth of programs and projects in response to the needs of identified stakeholders. Evaluation assists effective decisions, balanced judgements, and evidence-based conclusions. Evaluation supports both program and project improvement and accountability, ultimately contributing to organizational and societal value. For evaluation to perform its function, evaluators in all sectors need access to valid and reliable data. The full Canadian census used to provide a strong foundation on which to base evaluation work. It no longer does.

The importance of mandatory censuses is well documented. [1] Specialists highlight the reasons why a mandatory census long form is a better data collection method than the voluntary National Household Survey noting that it leads to higher and more consistent response rates. The methodological problems raised by the shift to a voluntary survey as was done in 2011 are well documented: it is technically impossible for a voluntary survey to adequately represent the total Canadian population for census purposes. Statistics Canada has had to placard warnings onto every National Household Survey product to explain that the result of this volunteer survey are not comparable to that of the carefully conducted 2006 Census. [2] Experts in data analysis of social phenomena have stated "The income data in the National Household Survey is not valid. It should not be used or cited. It should be withdrawn." [3] This is a profound source of concern to us, evaluators.

I cannot emphasize enough the critical role that census data play in evaluation. One of the most critical aspects of evaluation is the measurement of actual program outcomes. Politicians and policy-makers expect evaluation studies to rigorously assess the extent to which public programs are achieving their expected results for Canadians. In order to do this, evaluators must rely on data that systematically and consistently monitor social and economic changes. Nothing captures as many critical dimensions of societal changes as the Census, when administered with the combined short-form and long-form questionnaires.

Abandoning the mandatory long-form questionnaire has undoubtedly weakened the ability of the Government of Canada and of all other governments in Canada to meet their accountability objectives. There is still time to fix the problem and to revert to the solidity of an established yardstick: the complete Canadian Census. Moreover, according to the Auditor General of Canada, this would be a smart move from an efficiency point of view: "The combined cost of the 2011 Census of Population and the 2011 National Household Survey was $652 million over the seven-year Census cycle, including $22 million in added costs associated with changes to the Census and the introduction of the National Household Survey". [4] And altogether, this additional expense produced far less reliable data.

The Government of Canada also has a constitutional responsibility to conduct the Census. Others have developed compelling cases for the mandatory Census long form, highlighting the consequences of the voluntary nature of the National Household survey on public policy transparency, free speech, and social equality. [5]

For all the reasons above, the Canadian Evaluation Society strongly supports Bill C-626, a private member's bill to reinstate the long-form census and expand the authority of the Chief Statistician.

Yours sincerely,

Benoît Gauthier, President
Canadian Evaluation Society

[1] http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/x40172511770; http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/census-surveys-provide-information-that-we-need/2012/07/19/gJQA66wWwW_story.html?hpid=z2
[2] http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/ref/nhs-enm_guide/guide_4-eng.cfm
[3] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canadas-voluntary-census-is-worthless-heres-why/article14674558/
[4] http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201405_08_e_39339.html
[5] http://voices-voix.ca/en/facts/profile/statistics-canada-mandatory-long-form-census