Two weeks ago, a clear majority of the CEOs and business leaders on the COMPAS business panel favoured no change in the Census Canada Long Form. Two weeks of debate ensued. It emerged that almost 200,000 Canadians do not actually complete the Long Form despite the legal obligation to do so.

In answering slightly different questions two weeks later, after being exposed to different news on the issue, the members of the business panel appear to have done an about turn. Almost none (15%) now favour the status quo.

While there is a now a near consensus against the status quo, there is no consensus about what to do. Thus, 30% favour a voluntary survey (no legal right to punish for non-compliance), 20% incentives to participate, 19% both incentives and the threat of punishment for non-compliance, and 12% enforcing the current law so that non-participants are actually punished by the courts. Only 15% favour the present situation where non-participation is a crime that is not enforced.

These are the key findings from this past week’s Internet survey of CEOs and business leaders on the COMPAS panel. The weekly business survey is undertaken for Canadian Business magazine under sponsorship of BDO Dunwoody LLP.

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