Courtesy of http://home.primus.ca/~donrogers/cmo/labour_force_survey/lfsurvey.html
StatsCan Labour Force Survey--What's Going On?
We are receiving reports in
July 2012 that StatsCan is bullying citizens into participating in a
between-census Labour Force Survey (LFS). Selected households are asked
for their personal employment information several times over a period of
months.
The incredible thing is that citizens are being told by StatsCan that they must participate. It is not voluntary.
At present, to our knowledge
the only survey which is compulsory is the basic Short-Form Census every
five years. Surveys taken by Statistics Canada between these censuses
are, from what we can determine strictly voluntary.
Yet StatsCan is resorting to bully tactics. This letter
is being sent out to persons who resist participating. At first the
letter tries to pursuade citizens to participate, but near the end the
gloves come off and citizens are told that participation is compulsory.
As an aside, we find the assurances of confidentiality in this letter
rather amusing as it was the StatsCan Edmonton office which was
responsible for a serious security breach
after the 2006 Census. Personal employment records including wages and
SIN numbers of Census workers turned up in a used filing cabinet sold at
an Edmonton auction house!
We invite you to decide for yourself. Have a look at the Statistics Act, and examine Sections 8, 22(h), and 23(2).
Section 8 states that
StatsCan may in between censuses conduct surveys which are voluntary.
Section 22(h) itemizes Labour and Employment as an example of such
surveys. And Section 23 states that survey forms must be completed and
returned, SUBJECT TO SECTION 8. And section 8 states that the survey is
voluntary. We are not lawyers, but it seems pretty clear to us that
StatsCan has no right to tell households that the Labour Force Survey is
compulsory.
If you are experiencing
difficulties with Statistics Canada regarding the Labour Force Survey,
or any of the other inbetween Censuses surveys, we would like to hear
from you.
