Canadian Census 2006
Yes, that is right ladies and gentlemen of Canada, time has come for you to have filled in your census and hand it in to the great gov't that exists so that all Canadians can be accounted for. I did mine before I left, though had to get creative with the answers. They ask for the info to be handed in but they have a group of questions about day to day life that are phrased "in the week leading up to May 16th, how many hours did you work, play, sleep, eat, jump around the house naked" those sorts of things. You know, every day stuff. Well, I filled my forms in on May 2nd online, which I had to since I would be away from the area up to that date. So I had to anticipate my hours in the up coming week ahead. I hope I got it all right and all.
But, so far in the two articles that I have read about the Census, people are already finding problems with it and getting all paranoid. First it was the French/Francophones. (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060515/statscan_census_060515/20060515/) when they started to say that if the french listed english or something as their language then the gov't would cut down all french and francophone services. The gov't then issued a statement saying that the census is only a bean counting exercise and that no funds will be cut or a people group be excluded because of what they read. Good advice, but think of it from the peoples point of view. The french are concerned that the gov't is going to cut their funds, so having the gov't then stand up and say "no, we are not going to cut funds" is a practice in futility. If the people are already distrustful of the gov't what good will having the gov't standing up and saying "we are not crooks" do? Why not just write down what you are and what you think and hand it in? not like the gov't has a habit of reading what people think and then limit what we do. We are a free country, within reasonable means and guidelines.
Then it came to the same sex marriage group. Their claim and annoyance is a little more understandable and acceptable and I can see their concern. ( http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060516/census_gay_marriage_060516/20060516?hub=Canada) After all, if I had found for so long to get my marriage recognized in the country and then all of a sudden find that my marriage is listed as 'other' I would be annoyed as well. Why dont we list them as husband and wife? if a woman is married she is a wife, if a man is married he is a husband. So what is the big deal in saying that a same sex marriage has two husband and two wives? Take off the 'other' in the marriage category and accept it, that same sex marriages are here to stay and they are the wives and husbands of Canada as well.
Another thing that is being mentioned is the new addition that allows the statscan people to release what you have written to the world after 92 years. (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060506/census_060506?s_name=&no_ads=) This article somehow seems to have gone a little over board but I often scratch my head at the secrecy that some people want to go through when it comes to keeping their info private. Granted, they do have that right to say "no, I dont want people in 92 years to know how much I made in 2006, nor do they need to know if I was married or not" but come on people, it is only an income and all. I mean, if they were asking you to list your penis/breast size, how often you masterbate or how often you and your wife/husband/lover/hooker/pet (whatever your sexual desire) get intimate, then yeah I can understand that you wouldnt want that released, or you might even wonder why the gov't cares about that sort of thing. but this is only common, every day mundane stuff. So, of course,I checked that box allowing my relatives to be able to look me up in the far distant future. After I am dead and gone, my great grandchild can look up my stats and tell the class "yes, in 2006 my great grandfather was single in May and he was a cook". OHHHHH, earth shattering info there people*G*
One thing I found funny was how the Canadian gov't has removed the question on religion from the census. Think this might be in relation to the one time a census (either US or Canada, cant remember but thinking US) had religion and a majority of the citizens marked down their religion as 'Jedi'*G* Maybe this gov't didnt want to prove to the world that there were more geeks in Canada than in the past 5 year census*G*
But, so far in the two articles that I have read about the Census, people are already finding problems with it and getting all paranoid. First it was the French/Francophones. (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060515/statscan_census_060515/20060515/) when they started to say that if the french listed english or something as their language then the gov't would cut down all french and francophone services. The gov't then issued a statement saying that the census is only a bean counting exercise and that no funds will be cut or a people group be excluded because of what they read. Good advice, but think of it from the peoples point of view. The french are concerned that the gov't is going to cut their funds, so having the gov't then stand up and say "no, we are not going to cut funds" is a practice in futility. If the people are already distrustful of the gov't what good will having the gov't standing up and saying "we are not crooks" do? Why not just write down what you are and what you think and hand it in? not like the gov't has a habit of reading what people think and then limit what we do. We are a free country, within reasonable means and guidelines.
Then it came to the same sex marriage group. Their claim and annoyance is a little more understandable and acceptable and I can see their concern. ( http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060516/census_gay_marriage_060516/20060516?hub=Canada) After all, if I had found for so long to get my marriage recognized in the country and then all of a sudden find that my marriage is listed as 'other' I would be annoyed as well. Why dont we list them as husband and wife? if a woman is married she is a wife, if a man is married he is a husband. So what is the big deal in saying that a same sex marriage has two husband and two wives? Take off the 'other' in the marriage category and accept it, that same sex marriages are here to stay and they are the wives and husbands of Canada as well.
Another thing that is being mentioned is the new addition that allows the statscan people to release what you have written to the world after 92 years. (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060506/census_060506?s_name=&no_ads=) This article somehow seems to have gone a little over board but I often scratch my head at the secrecy that some people want to go through when it comes to keeping their info private. Granted, they do have that right to say "no, I dont want people in 92 years to know how much I made in 2006, nor do they need to know if I was married or not" but come on people, it is only an income and all. I mean, if they were asking you to list your penis/breast size, how often you masterbate or how often you and your wife/husband/lover/hooker/pet (whatever your sexual desire) get intimate, then yeah I can understand that you wouldnt want that released, or you might even wonder why the gov't cares about that sort of thing. but this is only common, every day mundane stuff. So, of course,I checked that box allowing my relatives to be able to look me up in the far distant future. After I am dead and gone, my great grandchild can look up my stats and tell the class "yes, in 2006 my great grandfather was single in May and he was a cook". OHHHHH, earth shattering info there people*G*
One thing I found funny was how the Canadian gov't has removed the question on religion from the census. Think this might be in relation to the one time a census (either US or Canada, cant remember but thinking US) had religion and a majority of the citizens marked down their religion as 'Jedi'*G* Maybe this gov't didnt want to prove to the world that there were more geeks in Canada than in the past 5 year census*G*
posted by Capt_Canuck at 7:28 AM
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