‘Gaps’ in Statscan survey worry national lobby group for cities
OTTAWA — Clients of Statistics Canada are concerned about “gaps” in the agency’s latest analysis of Canadian data published in the past week, casting doubt about whether they have enough information about trends to make good decisions and policies.
Staff within the federal organization that measures and analyzes Canadian trends and statistics say budget cuts took their toll on its latest product, an analysis of results from the 2011 National Household Survey on the Canadian workforce, its education and commuting habits.
One senior analyst who managed a report on commuting habits was blunt when asked about the differences between the agency’s 2006 analysis of commuting habits from the mandatory long-form census and its latest study, based on data from the 2011 survey’s voluntary questionnaire.
Both questionnaires asked detailed questions about personal habits, housing and other related issues to provide a portrait of the population, but the analyst, Martin Turcotte, suggested the agency had limited resources to analyze the latest numbers from 2011.
“The report in 2006 was 40 pages long and this one is shorter. So a choice had to be made,” said Turcotte. “We decided, based on our resources and the time available and the staff, to have a shorter version that specifically focused and actually (gave) more general analysis than what was done before.”
The federal government announced in the summer of 2010 that it would replace the long-form census, a mandatory survey sent to one out of five Canadian households, with a voluntary survey, suggesting that the detailed questions were intrusive and that Canadians should not be legally forced to answer them. The short census questionnaire remains mandatory, once every five years, and is sent to all Canadian households.
The main lobby group representing municipalities said it had concerns that some “gaps” might hamper planning in cities for decisions on infrastructure, affordable housing, bus routes as well as programs for new Canadians.
“We are calling on the government of Canada to work with all orders of governments to figure out how to fill the gap and provide communities of all sizes the most reliable information,” said Claude Dauphin, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.