From the ministry of industry to your screens:

OTTAWA, August 11, 2010 -- Today, the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, issued the following statement regarding the 2011 Census of population:

"The Government is announcing today its intention to introduce legislation this fall to remove threats of jail time for persons refusing to fill out the census and all mandatory surveys administered by the federal government.

"In addition, to support the implementation of Official Languages Act the 2011 Census will now include the following two questions:

1) 'Can this person speak English or French well enough to conduct a conversation?'; and,

2a) 'What language does this person speak most often at home?

2b) Does this person speak any other languages on a regular basis at home?'

"The addition of questions to the 2011 Census regarding ability to speak in one of Canada's two Official Languages and the language spoken at home will ensure the Government's compliance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Official Languages Act and its Regulations. This includes providing services to and communicating with the public in both official languages,  supporting the development of English and French linguistic minority communities, and fostering the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society.

"Our government believes that this fair and reasonable approach is a better balance between collecting necessary data and protecting the privacy rights of Canadians."

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Tags: census (and whoever thought that would be a long-running tag?), statements, tony clement