Statistics Canada
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2006 Census: Release of personal data after 92 Years
The 2006 long and short form census questionnaires each include the following question (number 8 on the short form or number 53 on the long form) on the release of personal information after 92 years.
The following question is for all persons who usually live here including those less than 15 years old. If you are answering on behalf of other people, please consult each person.
The Statistics Act guarantees the confidentiality of your census information. Only if you mark "YES" to this question will your personal information be made public, 92 years after the 2006 Census. If you mark "NO" or leave the answer blank, your personal information will never be made publicly available.
Consent to the release of census information in 92 years will help future generations better understand the Canada of today, and will greatly benefit historical, academic and genealogical research.
Beginning with the 2006 Census, people in Canada will be asked to consent to public access to their census records 92 years after the census. For those who give explicit permission, Statistics Canada will transfer their information to Library and Archives Canada in 2098, which in turn will make it publicly available. For those who do not give permission, their personal information will not be transferred.
Statistics Canada is giving everyone who completes the census the option of deciding if their census records should be released in 92 years. Informed consent about the use of one’s personal information is a matter of fundamental privacy protection. Everyone who provides census information should decide for themselves if they want their personal census records to be made publicly available in the future.
