QUESTION PERIOD — Innovation, Science and Economic Development
Statistics Canada--Census
June 18, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. It’s about including questions relating to the enumeration of rights holders in Statistics Canada’s short-form census.
For months now, the government has been claiming Statistics Canada is responsible for deciding whether to include questions to enumerate rights holders in the short-form census. However, in an appearance before the Standing Committee on Official Languages in March 2020, the Chief Statistician said that the final decision was up to cabinet. It seems to me that everyone is passing the buck.
Given that Statistics Canada is a federal agency, that it is vital to include these questions in the short-form census so that these communities can fully exercise their constitutional rights, that a decision is imminent, and that this request from official language minority communities has gone unanswered for too long, my question is as follows. If the government is “there” for our communities, as the Prime Minister said on June 12, will we see quick and decisive action to make sure that questions enumerating rights holders are on the short census form, as requested? If not, will there be some explanation for this failure to take action for official language minority communities?
Thank you for your question. Our two official languages remain a priority for this government. The Prime Minister and Minister Joly are very pleased with last week’s Supreme Court of Canada decision about British Columbia’s French-language school board. Furthermore, as you know, the Minister of Official Languages’ mandate includes an enumeration of rights holders and a thorough post-census survey. However, Statistics Canada is responsible for developing and administering the census in accordance with standardized methodological principles.
This isn’t the first time this issue has come up here. In February, my office sent the senator’s related question to the government. We followed up yesterday, but, unfortunately, we have not yet received a response.
I will therefore reiterate my request for a detailed response in hopes of receiving it very shortly.
Thank you for that answer. Could I also ask you to remind the Government of Canada that the inclusion of specific questions in the short-form census is fundamental for gathering information that makes it possible to enumerate rights holders?
For the information of my colleagues, the short-form census is given out to more Canadians than the long-form census, and it is used to collect necessary information.
Could I ask you to remind the Government of Canada about that and to ensure that we get a positive response as soon as possible?
Thank you.
Certainly.
