Government study found flaws in voluntary census

The StatsCan study was conducted before the government announced its plan to scrap the mandatory census.

A voluntary version of the Canadian census will result in significant underreporting of minorities and other groups such as home renters, according to a June 2010 StatsCan study. The study was conducted in anticipation of the government’s plan to make the 2011 census voluntary. Despite objections from researchers and civil groups, that plan is going ahead. The survey simulated the difference between a voluntary census and the real results of the 2006 Canadian census. That census reported an 2.77 per cent increase in visible minorities, but researchers said a voluntary survey would have only reported a .74 per cent increase.