The Census is Here. Oh Crap.

[Magda Hassan]

The most recent census in Canada attracted much non compliance in part because the Canadian government had outsourced the Census to Lockhheed Martin the US arms manufacturer which upset many. The following are some of their suggestions for remaining within the letter of the law but applying minimal compliance. Many have to do with making it difficult for the scanners to read the answers which will result in the form having to be manuall processed by a human which is a) more expensive b) more time consuming. Others involve protecting privacy or personal information. I am inspired by the spirit of resistance to comply :playingball:

Minimum Cooperation with the May 2006 Canada Census

Minimum cooperation with the Census is the foundation of the CountMeOut project. If we are to be successful, Canadians must buy into the MINIMUM COOPERATION strategy. First, it must be stated that CountMeOut.ca is not advocating outright refusal to provide census data. The Statistics Act, rightly or wrongly, makes it an offence to refuse to provide the information, or to provide false information. And, as StatsCan goes to great length to assert, consolidated aggregate Census data is useful for determining transfer payments to provinces and other social programs. Refusal or not to provide information is a personal decision, that each Canadian can make.
However we believe that, fortunately, Canadians can effectively register their opposition to free trade and the jeopardizing of personal privacy, through MINIMUM COOPERATION with the Census, rather than outright refusal. If even 50 percent of Canadians apply minimum cooperation with one or more of the techniques discussed in this website, the efficiencies which were supposedly to be achieved by contracting out part of the Canada Census to Lockheed Martin (Canada) will be more than nullified. At the end of the process, you will have met the legal requirement to provide your Census information, but you will have exercised several of the options offered you by Statistics Canada, or otherwise available to you. By doing this you have the empowerment to impress on Statistics Canada and the Government of Canada that Canadians will not tolerate the sellout of their sovereignty and the compromising of their personal privacy.
This sort of opportunity to easily, yet effectively register your opposition to NAFTA and loss of privacy does not happen every day. Let's all use this opportunity!
[ This is the MINIMUM COOPERATION MAIN PAGE. Use the navigation bar at the BOTTOM of the page to continue to the other minimum cooperation pages. ]


Don't hesitate to use the many options provided by StatsCan

Information provided by Statistics Canada mentions several options that citizens can exercise. Every single option on this page is offered by Statistics Canada, so you have a right to exercise those options.We encourage you to use those that in your judgement are appropriate for you.

• you have the option to file your census return on-line, or on paper. WE STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU AVOID ONLINE FILING, developed by Lockheed Martin. We feel that the privacy of online data is more easily compromised in this new
  technology
  
• you can request a replacement form if you lose the original form that Statistics Canada mailed you.
  
• StatsCan encourages one census return per household, covering all household members. BUT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REQUEST AND FILE INDIVIDUAL CENSUS RETURNS FOR EACH MEMBER OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD.[Important update, 03 May] When a viewer called the StatsCan 1-800 number and requested separate forms, he was advised that the separate forms would not be mailed to him until at least May 26. Because that is after the Census deadline, he was given a reference number to quote to any StatsCan people pestering him for his return. THIS CLEARLY IS A SUPERB MINIMUM COOPERATION TECHNIQUE, AS IT GENERATES CONSIDERABLE WORK FOR STATSCAN, AND ALSO PROVIDES A TOTALLY LEGITIMATE STALLING TACTIC. WE SHOULD ALL USE IT!
  
• You can request the census form in easy to read, large-print format. Very helpful given the amount of strain that our eyes endure in this day and age. Also helpful for anyone who ever gets headaches We are not sure yet, but think that the large-print forms may not be readable by the Lockheed Martin
  scanners. [ 02 May Update:] Some viewers have found StatsCan reluctant to provide large-print forms.
  
• You can be busy at the time that a census worker calls at your door, or on the phone. You can politely suggest another time when you are not busy
  
• you can choose not to answer your doorbell if you are busy at the time..
  

Other Options

There are several other options and events that may apply in connection with the May 16 2006 Canada Census

• You may like to have a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, while you are completing your census form. Careful not to spill. But if you do, don't worry--your form can still be processed manually instead of by the Lockheed Martin scanning software system.
  
• You may like to add a sticker or two on your census form, perhaps a sticker with your name and address, or a sticker to promote your favourite charity. Try not to completely cover over the bar-code on your census form, especially the large bar-code on the first page. But again, if you do happen to cover the barcode, your return can still be processed manually instead of with the Lockheed Martin designed scanning/tracking
  system.
  
• Maybe you like light blue pencils for filling in forms. Maybe you generally write very lightly, and very small. While this may be unreadable by the Lockheed Martin designed scanning equipment, you will be helping Canadian data-entry StatsCan employees keep their jobs and not join the ranks of the
  unemployed.
  
• When writing words or numbers within the census form boxes, you could turn the page upside down and then enter your letters or digits.
  
• on multiple choice answers, you could not mark an "X" in any of the circles, but instead simply write beside the question "Choice number three", if your answer is the third option of those presented. Here's an example.
  
• You may have a preferred way of folding correspondence that you revert to absent mindedly, by habit.
  
• You may have lost the mailing envelope that the Census provided, but not the forms themselves. You might opt to use your own envelope to mail in your form. Perhaps the envelope is a different size and shape than the standard census reply one..
  
• [suggested by a viewer] When you mail in your form in your own odd-sized envelope, it won't be postage-prepaid. No problem. Simply address your envelope to the Hon. Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industy, House of Commons, Ottawa Ont., K1A 0A6. Now it can be sent postage-free! Bernier is the minister responsible for Statistics Canada.
  
• another way to handle multiple choice answers is to "X" several options, then handwrite "this one" beside your actual answer.
  
• You may decide to separate the 40-page long-form census questionnaire booklet into separate loose sheets, and rearrange the order of the sheets, perhaps in the order of your most recent Loto 649 numbers. It might make you lucky. Remember to blacken the barcodes at the bottom of each page; they contain the page numbers.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Perhaps you are a traditionalist, and prefer to state dates in Roman Numerals. In case your were wondering, Census Day is: XVI V MMVI
  
• You may get part way through filling in the replacement census form that you got after losing the original, before you realize that it is hard on your eyes and you would like the large-print census form instead that is offered by the Census..
  
• [suggested by a viewer] You might place your completed census in the envelope and set it aside. A few days later, you see it, and forgetfully mistake it for junk mail. You crumple it up into a small ball and stomp on it a few times before you realize that it's the census. Oh well, straighten it out and mail it in. If the Lockheed Martin developed software can't handle it, real live Canadian data-entry employees can.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Your non-dominant hand could use a little extra practice. If you are right-handed, fill out your census form using your left hand. And vice-versa
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Wait for a day when it is pouring rain, and take a nice leisurely walk to the post office to mail in your census return, soaking wet but intact. As a helpful service to our viewers, CountMeOut presents for your convenience a link to Environment Canada, where you can obtain a 5-day weather forecast for your region, to assist in planning your census
  outing.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Some of your answers may be written on little post-it notes which are affixed to your census return.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Numbers can be written as simple arithmetic expressions. Example: (3+2) persons in household; (25-6 September, 1939+4); (89+3) Sunshine Street, Apt.
  (112+2)
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Part E Question 3, Date of Birth, says if exact date unknown, enter best estimate. Since you have no first-hand recollection of you exact birth date, you can print the words "best estimate" in the date box, as per instructions---get it?.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] In Step B: Leave Person 2 column blank. Skip to Person 3 column. Include dog; relation: Other--Pet.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] Change the order of the persons you enter in the columns of Step E from the order of persons you entered in Step B
  
• Perhaps there is an artist hidden within you. You could take a pair of scissors and make one-half inch cuts into the census form all around the edge, making a most attractive fringe that not only enhances the appearance of your census form, but also makes it difficult to feed into the Lockheed Martin scanning system.
  
• [suggested by a viewer] For Step A, Question 2 --Phone Number: You can unplug your phone(s), and then truthfully write in the phone number boxes "NONE FUNCTIONING RIGHT
  NOW"
  
• [suggested by cat-owning viewer] Get your cats involved in completing your census form. Click here for all the details
  

Check out the rest of the site too: http://www.countmeout.ca/