BC Council for Families

The BC Council for Families adds its voice to the many organizations calling for the repeal of the Voluntary Household Survey, and the reinstatement of the Long Form Census.  Read on for our open letter to Industry Minister Tony Clement.

Monday, August 16, 2010
 
The Honourable Tony Clement
Minister of Industry
C.D. Howe Building, 235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5
 
Dear Minister Clement, 
 
On behalf of the BC Council for Families, we are writing to inform you of our opposition to the recent decision to replace the Canadian Census long-form survey with the voluntary National Household Survey.  We share the opinion of many in the Canadian social services community, and in particular those who are involved in research and program development, that this will result in a critical gap in the essential data that is needed to improve the well-being of children and families all across Canada.
 
Social service organizations and agencies throughout BC and Canada depend on data generated by the Canadian Census long form to understand the changing needs of families, to develop the programs and services that address those needs, and to identify where gaps still exist.   Without the availability of data from the Canadian Census tracking the social determinants of health, our ability to measure and respond to the needs of children and family members will be severely hampered.  Creating sound policies for human social services at the federal, provincial and community level in the absence of comprehensive census information will become extremely challenging.
 
The voluntary National Household Survey will not provide a complete picture of the current state of Canada’s population, and therefore the results cannot be usefully compared against data collected through previous censuses. The impact of this government’s decision will be felt for many years, and represents a serious obstacle to the future formation of social policy and programs.
 We know that prevention and early intervention through effective social policies saves money.  Particularly in this time of fiscal restraint, it is crucial to retain the long form census in order to protect the health and well-being of Canadian children and families.
 
We urge the government of Canada to reconsider its decision and reinstate the long form census.
 
Sincerely,
                                               

Glenn Hope
Executive Director
                

Sylvia Tremblay
President