A COVID census would not hurt
How will the census work in a pandemic?
Statistics Canada will conduct a census in 2021 despite concerns about a pandemic and the spread of the virus. Census Director General Jeff Bowlby said the introduction of lockdown by several provinces, will not change the Authority's intentions.
"We've been thinking about the pandemic plan from the beginning," Bowlby said.
The office states that the census will be conducted in a non-contact manner — for the safety of both staff and participants. Staff will keep their distance, use personal protective equipment and will not enter houses.
The 2021 census is set for May 11. Starting May 3, Canadians will receive questionnaires by mail. Some people will also take part in the census by telephone.
"Health and safety experts say our methods are safe," Bowlby assures.
The census will collect demographic data on the Canadian population. They will then be used by governments, businesses, associations, community organizations, etc. for research and decision-making at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
Statistics Canada has already hired 900 supervisors and plans to hire about 31,000 more staff to deal directly with the census. Job openings are still open, so people can still apply.
Bowlby is concerned that fewer people will take part in the procedure because of the pandemic, but the Authority still aims to reach 2016 levels of at least 98% response rate.
In 2021, there will be some innovations to the census. For example, for the first time, there will be questions to count transgender people, veterans, active military personnel, people who speak minority languages, Inuit, land claim participants and Métis people in Canada. There will also be questions about how people get to work and why they work part-time or seasonally.
