StatsCan urges Inuit to fill out census form

As the 2011 census rolls out across Canada’s North, Statistics Canada is encouraging Inuit residents to fill out the new and voluntary National Household Survey.

That’s because the information gathered during the census goes to benefit communities directly, since they are the primarily users of that data, says Guy Oddo, director of Statistics Canada’s eastern region.

“[The data collected] will be used in a lot of ways, especially by the communities themselves, to analyse their own demographics,” Oddo said. “It’s very important to collect this data to have information on northern communities.”

And to get accurate statistical information on aboriginal communities, demographers need a high rate of response, he added.

The 2011 census includes the same eight questions that appeared on the short-form census questionnaire from 2006, with the addition of two questions on language.

Those two questions will ask about the ability to speak English and French and the language spoken at home.

The major change in this year’s federal census is the elimination of the mandatory long-form census, abandoned by the Conservative government last year in favour of a voluntary National Household Survey.

The new questionnaire will ask roughly the same 53 questions about language, ethnicity, religion, aboriginal identity, education, labour and housing. See a sample of the new survey online here.

During the 2006 census, 100 per cent of Nunavimmiut filled out the long-form census, Oddo said, while Nunavummiut weren’t far behind.

“It’s always been close (to 100 per cent),” Oddo said. “Statistically, we need more information on these regions [than elsewhere] to have a proper community profile.”

Census enumerators began their northern tour in Kuujjuaq at the beginning of the month and Statistics Canada teams will move through Nunavik and Nunavut during February and March.

The “door-to-door” approach in northern villages is what sets the census collection apart from the south, Oddo said.

Because the communities are smaller, census workers are able to visit households in person to assist residents in filling out their questionnaires.

“We try to have local enumerators when we can, and when they’re not available we send teams to collect info,” Oddo said. “But we always use local guides or interpreters.”

Although the official census is only available in English or French, these interpreters can help translate census questions and responses to and from Inuktitut.

That’s one function of Statistics Canada’s Aboriginal liaison program, which works to meet cultural needs that might be overlooked in the traditional census format.

For example, the census is carried out first in northern and Aboriginal communities to respect the springtime hunt, Oddo said.

Collection of the census and household survey for the rest of Canada starts May 2, 2011.