Canadians began receiving yellow envelopes this week with their census forms, which include a secure access code so they can complete the questionnaire online. Canadians are being asked to complete the census short form, which is mandatory, within 10 days. If the form is not received by June, a census-taker will knock on the door to get the information. The Statistics Canada website provides detailed information about how to count part-time residents, such as college students or children in joint custody.
The Canadian census does not include a mandatory long form this year, but instead will send a voluntary household survey in about a month. Government officials say they dropped the long form because of privacy concerns expressed by Canadians. The decision was criticized by genealogists and others; the government’s chief statistician resigned because he disagreed with it.
