Census 2011

I am sure many of you have received a Census 2011 instruction sheet in the mail. I am sure you have asked, why complete it?

A census is a government run questionnaire to gain information about people in a given population. Statistics Canada uses the census to decide where government funding is needed the most.

There are separate questionnaires for agricultural purposes. Many of you may be wondering who is considered an agricultural citizen. Anyone who is responsible for the operation of farm or an agricultural operation should fill out the agriculture version of the census. An agricultural operation is defined as a farm, ranch or other operation that produces agricultural products intended for sale. This can include crops, livestock, poultry, bees & honey, maple products, fur, and wool, among other things.It also does not matter the what the size of the operation is, the census is designed to include all variations in the agriculture industry.


Many of you may still be wondering, why should I waste my time filling this out? The government uses the answers given, and distributes them in a way that solely benefits the producers. Don't worry, under FOIP (Freedom of Information Privacy Act), they can not give out your personal information, so there is no need to fret about spam or telemarketers. The information shared can help everyone; it aids companies that supply agricultural product to know where to market, helps the producer when the government releases trend information, as well as assisting the government to determine how much damage will be done to the industry when there is a threat of a natural disaster.

Although the Census 2011 deadline has passed, I hope you all will realize how vitally important it is to fill out the questionnaire. When the next Census is sent out in 2016, I hope you all take the time required and answer the questions. If the benefits of the Census are not incentive enough, know that it is a federal offense not to complete the survey.