From compulsory to voluntary long-form census: What we stand to lose

In June, the federal government announced the discontinuation of the mandatory long-form census. This article attempts to answer the question, “What will Canada lose if the mandatory long-form census is permanently discontinued?” It undertakes a review of the open letters and briefing documents of a range of organizations on the census issue, paying special attention to their articulation of specific uses of long-form census data in areas ranging from public health to transportation planning to religious outreach.