Industry committee  That's, in fact, a classic example of the real care Statistics Canada takes. It consulted over years. The dilemma was, of course, that the time use survey had the space to ask the 30 or 40 questions that you really need to ask in order to understand time use, and because of the nature of those questions and the need for them, that trade-off was made.

Industry committee  The same.

Industry committee  It is not a position I have ever been in, and it would be pure speculation for me to respond.

Industry committee  Given that this is something that the Statistics Council as a group hasn't had a chance to discuss, I really can't respond.

Industry committee  I will canvass their opinion.

Industry committee  I have nothing to add to what Mr. Fellegi said.

Industry committee  Let me start with that, Mr. Masse. The census underpins all of Canadian social data. It is the benchmark that we use to adjust and weight any subsequent surveys that are done. It is absolutely fundamental. For example, knowing our unemployment rate accurately depends on drawing a good sample for the labour force survey and knowing that the responses there reflect the general population.

Industry committee  I would strongly encourage people to fill out the national household survey. I believe they have an obligation to fill out the census.

Industry committee  Yes, I would.

Industry committee  We have traditionally worked with Statistics Canada in the development of the questions, starting years before the survey begins. We have at times had ad hoc working groups that have supported Statistics Canada, particularly in things like advising on media or issues that arise in the census.

Industry committee  Not an active one now.

Industry committee  As the census day approaches and as the results come out, occasionally members of the council who have particular areas of expertise aligned with particular topic areas in the census historically have made themselves available or have been asked by StatsCan to make themselves available to the press.

Industry committee  That's exactly my understanding. A census, in normal statistical jargon as we use it in Canada, means you are contacting everyone, whether it is compulsory or not. What we call our 2011 census, going back to the 1851 census, has happened to be compulsory but they're also universal.

Industry committee  Some of this discussion goes to one of the central issues, which is that it is possible to test these things if you organize in advance, and the Americans did this under a very similar circumstance with the American community survey, which is mandatory and is in many ways their analogue to our long-form census.

Industry committee  Again, with the caveat that I agree entirely with the other witnesses that the 2011 census is too far advanced operationally to change now, if this bill were to become law, then we would have a situation whereby the capacity to have benchmarks across a wide array of variables would be restored to what we have known over the past 100 years with high-quality census data, yes.