New Short-Form Census Hits Mailboxes Monday

A voluntary 'national household survey' – the long-form's much-maligned replacement – will follow in the coming weeks.

In an odd twist of timing, the new short-form census will be out for the first time on Monday, coinciding with election day. The Conservative government decided to do away with the mandatory long-form census last summer, claiming it was an unnecessary intrusion into the lives of the public. That move prompted outcry from economists, journalists, urban planners, doctors, and more over the loss of valuable data. The head of Statistics Canada, Munir Sheikh, resigned from his position in protest over the axed census. The compulsory eight-question census will be sent to some 15 million Canadian homes, while 4.5 million copies of the new voluntary "national household survey," which is meant to replace the long-form, will be distributed in the coming weeks. Both the NDP and the Liberals have promised to bring back the long-form census should they be elected to power.