Some are calling it “Census Gate,” and believe that this is the end of the Conservative minority government. Others are calling the uproar “nonsense.” Some are looking at the Canadian Census through ideological eyes, and are trying to make sense of the entire process. Others are looking for consensus on what is quickly becoming an issue for the Canadian public.

Whatever your personal view, censuses are not new. The first recorded census was taken by the Babylonians in 3800 B.C. China counted 16 million in a census it did more than 4,000 years ago. The Roman Empire conducted one every five years. Ultimately, it came to be regarded as the “who owns what” in the world, and it became a critical tool for governance.

Now, for the first time in 35 years in Canada, the Census is being changed. Industry Minister Tony Clement advised Parliament that the mandatory long-form 61-question census form that went to one in five homes will be replaced with a voluntary household survey that will be sent to 30 per cent of Canadian households. The mandatory short-form, an eight-question census, will remain every citizen’s responsibility.

Canada is not alone in this review of the Census. Britain is processing whether next year’s census will be their last. The Scandinavians have been pioneering this. Denmark has tracked their citizens without a traditional census for decades. There are other tools in our modern society that can be drawn upon to build the databases necessary for governance.

Dean Beeby of The Canadian Press stated in Nov 2008 that “voter turnout wasn’t the only civic responsibility in decline across Canada.” Fewer people filled out census forms, even though it was the law, and they knew that there was a $500 fine or a maximum three months in jail for delinquency. This factor alone has created a great deal of political friction.

Regardless of this threat, records from the 2006 Census reveal that over 160,000 Canadians refused to fill out the long-form, a 500% increase over 1981. 35,000 of Canada’s aboriginals also refused to comply, without legal consequence. A “Count Me Out” movement began uniting dissenters who believed that the personal information requirements were an invasion of privacy.

Minister Clement determined that the new arrangement would “reasonably limit” what had been perceived as an intrusion. Don Rogers, speaking on behalf of the movement, stated: “There’s no need to ask how many rooms in your house. There’s no need to ask how many hours of unpaid work do the members of your household do.”

Pollsters draw conclusions from polls. Companies use sampling techniques to determine product. Why not government?

Others see it quite differently. They believe Stats Canada has an untarnished reputation in guarding personal privacy, along with a world class skill set in analysis of what the numbers mean for government. Time will tell whether or not this new public policy will be beneficial or prove itself detrimental to the overall strategic planning of ministry in Canada.

I can remember Pierre Trudeau, then Canada’s Liberal Justice Minister (1967) declaring that there was “no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” The Liberal think tank apparently disagrees with that assertion now, and believes that the government should at least know how many bedrooms we have.

The Census has awakened our ideological belief systems. “How much should Big Brother know about our personal life? What will the information be used for? Who will decide what the information means? Will there be intrusion into our personal life or property as a result?” These questions are valid.

We are in an information age. We are information junkies. We have the ability to gather and process information like no other generation. However, “when is too much information too much? When does the public’s right to know run cross purposes with the individual’s right to privacy?” These are questions every Canadian must come to peace with.

1.4 million Canadians were missed in the 2006 Census (4.35% of the population). That’s a significant hole in the net. The Census is taken every five years and takes two years to evaluate, so information gets old quickly. The Federal government hands out millions every year to provinces, ministries and agencies to gather specific data. Target specific info gathering may be the best route for the 21st century.

I personally believe that the government is on the right track simplifying its forms, and backing off in terms of threat and intimidation. I do not believe this to be a dumbing down of our nation, as I believe that there are many other more relevant tools available to gather the data the government needs.

We are an interesting nation of people though, aren’t we? Will we ever get consensus on the Census? I don’t know. One thing I do know: many – if not all - Canadians will fill each form out anyway, voluntarily, but they will be glad that they do not have to do so under the threat of criminal prosecution.