Official Languages Committee on March 12th, 2020

[Anil Arora]

We formed a committee of experts to help us develop the questions. That committee put a great deal of effort into the testing process, the questionnaire and the number of questions. The committee's input was critical to our process. The 2019 census test included a module of five questions that we tested. As I said, we tested the module on the short-form questionnaire and on the long-form questionnaire. The results will be shared with everyone.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Why can't you share them now?

[Anil Arora]

Because we're in the process of finalizing the results.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

So you haven't finished the analyses.

[Anil Arora]

We're in the process of finalizing the analysis of our tests, which will be part of the cabinet decision, along with the act that will be part of the analysis and the cabinet decision.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

You're saying that, once your tests are finalized, you'll release them to the public.

[Anil Arora]

Exactly.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Approximately when will that happen?

[Anil Arora]

It will happen in a few weeks.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

You will then make your recommendations and cabinet will meet. When will you make the decision?

[Anil Arora]

Cabinet will make the decision, according to section 21 of the Statistics Act. It won't be my decision. It will be cabinet's decision. We'll comply with cabinet's decision, as we've done in previous censuses.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

This means that we're meeting with you too soon.

It would have been worthwhile to meet with you after receiving the results.

[Anil Arora]

The results will be released to the public. So, if you have any questions—

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

So everyone will have access to the results and, at that point, there can be a debate.

[Anil Arora]

As I was saying, we really strive to meet the needs of our users. That's our sole reason for existing. We have a process and a law to follow, a law that you have put in place as legislators.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

How would including questions on the short form be beneficial?

What would be the pros and cons?

[Anil Arora]

Thank you for your question.

Statistics Canada is already responding to a number of requests for information based on the data obtained through the long-form questionnaire. This isn't new. Canadians have been filling out this long form for 50 years.

The methodology used to provide this high-quality data isn't exclusive to Canada. The methodology is used around the world in countries that conduct traditional censuses.

In Canada, the employment insurance program distributes $17 billion annually based on census data. Many other laws and programs depend on the high-quality data obtained from the long-form questionnaire. We provide the best possible data using a solid methodology and a process tested over the past 50 years.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

You're not really answering my question. I gather that you receive many requests to change the long questionnaire or the short questionnaire. What would make this particular request relevant? What would be the pros?

I'm not asking you to take a position. I want you to tell us for which results the test on the short questionnaire would be beneficial or detrimental.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

You have 20 seconds to respond, Mr. Arora.

[Anil Arora]

First, we take into account the main criteria, the best possible quality data that the question will help us obtain. Second, we analyze the burden of the question, meaning whether Canadians can understand it and answer it correctly. Third, there are the costs associated with the question. Lastly, we must ensure that the question won't have a negative impact on another question in the form. As statisticians, we take these factors into account to provide the best possible advice.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you.

I'll now give the floor to Mr. Duval, who has six minutes.

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Thank you for coming, Mr. Arora.

You mentioned the test results. How many questions about rights holders were tested?

[Anil Arora]

We put together a committee. We have our statistical expertise, but we're not.... We put together a committee of experts to help us with what the most efficient and most effective way to collect this information would be. That committee was very helpful in helping us formulate quantitative tests. In fact, we started off with certain things and we thought it might work. We tested it and found out it didn't work. We went back and retested other versions. In the end, what we tested in the quantitative test—the test with the 135,000 dwellings in Canada—was a module of five questions.

We think we're in the final stages of assessing their quality. Obviously, we think that we get from those five questions a really good base on which to satisfy the needs of right holders in this country.

That's one piece of the puzzle. We have to go further than that. I don't think that alone is going to do it because a census is an exercise at one point in time. I think the needs of the users are really on an ongoing basis.

We have been working with partners in other departments on a post-censal survey that can get at not only the total number that we can get from the census, but also how many intend to actually use the services.

We're also working with administrative data sources and other.... We already have some data that we get on an annual basis to see how many people are actually making use of that service.

If you look at some of the legal decisions, the judges have said that we need all three of these. You need the upper limit. You need how many are going to actually make use of that service, and you need to know what that demand is and how is it going to evolve over time.

Statistics Canada wants to work on actually developing the infrastructure that is going to be needed for this country—not just in 2021, but on an ongoing basis—so that we can meet the needs of users on an ongoing basis.

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Arora, were there any objections to any of the questions by any department, any stakeholders, ?

[Anil Arora]

As I've said, we've formed an advisory committee of experts representing different viewpoints. I think what we found was that it's the module that will get us the highest quality data that responds to the data need that we have.