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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Count Me Out!

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.