Will You Be Remembered in 2098?

On Tuesday, May 16, 2006, the Canadian National Census questionnaire will find its way to the country's 32.5 million residents. For the first time in history, it includes a confidentiality question - asking Canadians to give or deny permission for their personal information to be included in the census of 2006. Many genealogists and historians fear that survey participants won't realize the importance of saying "yes," and have initiated a publicity campaign to educate people on the implications of the confidentiality question, and why Canadians should care about what happens almost a century from now, in the year 2098, when the 2006 census is released to the public.

For people who answer "no" or don't answer the question at all, their personal information will be irretrievably erased from the census after the statistics have been tabulated. Important information about where and how we lived could be lost to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as to future historians and researchers. Most of us will be dead by then (that's the point of the 92 year wait before personal information is released), so why not check "YES" and make your information available for your future family members.

Ancestry.ca has also gotten into the act, with their own campaign to encourage people to check "YES" to Question 8 of the 2006 Canadian Census.

Questionnaires for the 2006 Canadian Census were delivered to households across Canada last week. Once you've received the form, you can fill in your questionnaire online or complete the paper questionnaire and return it by mail.