WHEREAS funding for many government sponsored programs is based on per capita formulas where the population statistics come from Stats Canada; AND WHEREAS some local governments incorporate First Nations reserves and reserve lands where ongoing participation in statistics collecting mechanisms may be problematic: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities lobby the federal government to have Stats Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada work collaboratively to arrive at accurate population statistics for jurisdictions where reserve lands are included in local government geographic boundaries.
MINISTRY OF INDIAN AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT I understand your concerns with respect to the sometime problematic or irregular participation of First Nation communities in Statistics Canadas census and survey activities. I wish to assure you that departmental officials are in regular contact with officials from Statistics Canada when it comes to identifying reserve land geography or lands sets aside for First Nation use as a result of claim or self-government agreements and their overall application to the Census Population. When it comes to the actual data collection through the Census Population, however, Statistics Canada has the mandate and responsibility under the Statistics Act to ensure that Canadians of all origins and from all corners of the country are counted every five years.
STATISTICS CANADA In respect to resolution B160, I would like to assure you that Statistics Canada will continue to work closely not only with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada but also local municipalities to obtain accurate population counts for jurisdictions where reserve lands are included in local government geographic boundaries. The methodology used by Statistics Canada in the conduct of the 2006 Census was applied consistently across the country, was subjected to numerous quality control processes, and provided the best count of the resident population in May 2006. The same rigor, support mechanisms, and ultimately door-to-door enumeration for any dwelling that did not return a completed questionnaire on time were applied in 2006 as in previous Censuses.