Voluntary survey "will never be comparable to census data"

In an internal newsletter to StatsCan employees, acting StatsCan chief Wayne Smith said the data collected from the new voluntary survey that will replace the long-form census "will, of course, never be comparable to census data." Smith added that, despite the change, "the National Household Survey will produce usable and useful data that can meet the needs of many users." Smith was appointed to the position in July, after Munir Sheikh resigned shortly after the government announced the changes. Smith maintains that Statistics Canada has not lost credibility despite the census controversy and also reported that he doesn’t see a "morale problem" among the staff.

Vancouver Sun