Thank you for the question.
There are lots of theories, and we've heard them all, percolating. One thing that has been unequivocal is the expertise. The statisticians across the country have said that a volunteer survey will not render the same results as a mandatory survey. There is a lot of evidence that supports the fact that certain groups in Canada will fill out a volunteer survey and others will not: the more vulnerable members of our communities—single parents, people living under a certain income level, as well as certain people living over a certain income level. We also know that new Canadians, immigrants, etc., will struggle. They're struggling to adapt to the country. Filling out a volunteer survey will not be a great priority, and language is a key issue.
That has been well established by the experts in the country.
There are those who, when you start to think about the motivation.... Is it that we're trying to paint a different picture of the country? I would hope we're not, but we have to recognize that the census is used as a tool to determine levels of funding transfer to key programs based on population need. If you draw the line between understanding that and understanding what the expert statisticians are telling us in the country, we believe there is a great risk of less money going to where it's needed most in this country.
That's a big problem.