The Perth District Health Unit is currently expressing its strong support for the Private Member’s Bill C-626, introduced to Parliament in September 2014, which calls for the reinstatement of the mandatory long-form census and to expand the authority of the Chief Statistician.
The Health Unit has written letters of support to local MP Gary Schellenberger, as well as letters to the editor in local papers across Perth County. We are urging everyone show their support for Bill C-626 in any way you can.
Background
In July 2010, the mandatory long-form census was discontinued and replaced with the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS). Census data had given us inclusive, reliable information about our population, on topics such as income, education, and demographics. This type of information is critical for local service providers, like the Perth District Health Unit, to plan and operate programs so that they are cost-effective and successful.
Since the long-form census was eliminated, the Perth District Health Unit has been unable to count on reliable information on our local population to fulfill our mandate to protect and promote the health of our population – the residents of Perth County.
Unreliable Data
The NHS has produced unreliable data mainly due to the non-response of certain groups of people. For example, low- income earners are underrepresented, whereas, those with a university degree or diploma are overrepresented. As well, the non-response rate of the NHS has meant that low-population and rural areas, such as ours, no longer have the inclusive data that we need to make informed decisions.
As an example, the Perth District Health Unit produces regular Health Status Reports on topics such as local immunization coverage and alcohol consumption, which are used to make planning and budget decisions. The reports rely on demographic information about our population. The fact that data from the NHS appears to be skewed – showing, for example, that our population is of higher income than it may actually be – means our reports are not capturing the true picture of the problems that we are trying to solve.
Without comprehensive, reliable data, the Health Unit’s ability to identify, reach and provide services to the more vulnerable people in our community is drastically reduced, therefore restricting our ability to reduce health inequities in Perth County.
In public health, it is also important to compare data over long periods of time to measure the effect of local programming and services. This is the type of information that you can use to show the good things that are happening in your riding. The NHS data has proven to be incomparable with the previous, reliable statistics Canada data, so that we are losing our ability to see trends over time.
Help by Showing your Support
The Perth District Health Unit strongly supports Bill C-626 and the reinstatement of the mandatory long-form census. We urge everyone to support this Bill as well. The mandatory long-form census is an effective means of gathering quality information so that we can all continue to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Perth County.