You won’t get thrown in jail for not completing the Canadian census, but you could get fined.
The Census of Population is due May 12 and you should’ve already gotten your letter in the mail to fill it out.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t fill it out on paper and mail it back. On each letter, there will be a 16-digit access code at the top. You need to type that number out on the Statistics Canada (StatCan) website to fill out the form digitally.
Make sure to complete your form before the due date, because the Government of Canada might send you follow-ups, phone calls or even an in-person visit if you don’t. You could get fined up to $500 for providing false information or ignoring it.
The survey itself aims to understand who lives in Canada and what demographics make up our neighbourhoods. StatCan collects information about age, sex at birth, language, marital status, social and economic situation, as well as some other details.
The data is super important, because it impacts funding allocations, the placements of hospitals, daycares, the rollout of employment opportunities and more. For a detailed list on how census data is used, you can check out the Statistics Canada website.
If you have any more questions, you can check out this FAQ.
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