Guerrilla Tactics, Civil Disobedience, And The Census

Given the ideological reasons behind the Harper government's decision to eliminate mandatory completion of the long-form census, all rational objections to the move having been summarily and imperiously dismissed, many Canadians regard the 2011 Census with suspicion and disdain. It has been argued, for example, that the changes will conceal many of the negative facts of Canadian life, such as poverty rates. Consequently, concerned citizens are seeking ways to register their objections and undermine what they see as a move by the Harperites to use the resulting flawed data to eliminate or underfund programs that are vital to segments of the population.

Catherine Porter, writing in today's Star, offers some interesting strategies some are advocating to thwart this agenda, ranging from turning in indecipherable forms to outright refusal to complete them.