OTTAWA, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government will not prosecute citizens for failing to fill out the mandatory long-form census.
Harper told reporters he understands that some Canadians are reluctant to provide the detailed personal information that the long form requires, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.
He said instead of threatening citizens with fines and jail times, his government will work to achieve cooperation.
It was the first time the Canadian prime minister weighed in publicly on the Conservative government's plans to scrap the mandatory long-census form and replace it with a voluntary survey.
Opponents contend the move will lower the quality of data gathered by the census and hinder policy decision-makers.
The former head of Statistics Canada, Munir Sheikh, said no statistician in the world would agree that a voluntary survey could serve as a substitute for a mandatory census.
