Well, I did it. I took the infamous long-form census everyone is talking about, and I have to say I don’t feel invaded, uncomfortable or like my time was particularly wasted.

I mean I guess it was wasted because I did the 2006 census, and it is in fact 2010, but had my information been delivered for a 2010 census, I would have felt as though I had done my civic duty. 

Now I feel I am able to firmly say, “what’s the big freakin’ deal?”

I think the big debate has been over the long-form census being too invasive, so I’ll start there. The most invasive question on there was the one asking me for my social insurance number, and to be honest, even that didn’t bother me. I mean the government gave me that number, I’m pretty sure they know those nine digits correspond to me. In fact, I bet when referring to me in their offices, they refer to me only as a number, and that’s just fine with me. 

For those that think the census is too invasive, what questions are the invasive ones? Some I’ve heard called out are the ones about the size of your dwelling. Does it really matter if the government knows whether you have two bathrooms or three? I have one bathroom in my dwelling. There, you all know it. I have publicized the results of my census, and I feel fine knowing that if anyone comes over to my house and needs to use my facilities they will be able to know they should only look for one singular facility. 

Many of the questions cater to the agriculture industry, and perhaps they find the questions about whether they grow corn or wheat offensive. Can’t people tell from driving by your farm? (I mean I couldn’t, because I’m not exactly Old MacDonald, but others might be able to identify the sprout of a corn husk versus a wheat stalk)

The second argument I hear is that it’s too long. It took me a whopping 25 minutes out of my day to complete the survey from question one to 53, then the additional questions at the back. And did it kill me? It really didn’t. 

Twenty-five minutes is something you can chop up, doing five minutes here and five minutes there. One thing about me that you should know, is that I have the attention span of a hummingbird. If I managed to get through the census without losing track (or being distracted by something sparkly or shiny, not unlike a raven), anyone can do it. 

For those who are opposed to the census, I’d like to hear any additional problems you see with the census. There has been a huge outpouring of objection to scrapping the mandatory census, but there has been little talk from those that support going to a voluntary survey. 

One thing to keep in mind, is that many of the questions request information that your neighbours, friends, realtors, employer, children and more are privy too. The government just wants in on that sharing circle, to maybe be able to direct funds for improvements in our society. 

We also just want to know how many people call Canada home, and knowing the answer to that question is just a good little tidbit to put away for the next time you are locked in a heated game of Trivial Pursuit. 

DISCLAIMER: The Last Word is an opinion column, it is meant to provoke thought and debate. As such, any opinions written here are the writers own and do not reflect the viewpoint of any other Fitzhugh staff member or the directors of the Jasper Media Group Inc.