Federal department questioned quality of 2021 Indigenous census data: documents

Federal officials questioned the quality of the 2021 census data for Indigenous communities after collection efforts were hampered by factors including the discovery of unmarked residential school graves, documents show.

Briefing notes obtained by The Canadian Press through access-to-information legislation reveal Statistics Canada's struggle to survey more than 600 First Nation and Inuit communities.

The documents were prepared for Indigenous Services Canada — the department that funds housing on reserves, along with other infrastructure and social programs.

Last October, weeks after the nearly five-month census window closed on Sept. 24, officials provided an update to the department's deputy minister. It noted while the overall response rate was 98 per cent, it was only around 85 per cent for Indigenous communities.

That was down from 92 per cent in the 2016 census year.

"While data collection results have surpassed expectations given the circumstances, questions remain about the quality of data," it read.

"Lower data quality will likely limit the ability to develop a sound evidence base for decision-making whether it be federal, provincial or Indigenous governments using the 2021 census data."

Indigenous Services Canada has not yet returned a request for comment.

In Canada, the census is done every five years to collect population and demographic information that assists governments in making funding decisions. Communities also rely on it for infrastructure planning.

Statistics Canada spokesman Peter Frayne said in the previous two census years, the number of reserves not fully counted had fallen to 14 in 2016, down from 36 in 2011.

In 2021, that figure shot up to 63, with Frayne saying the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with forest fires and heat waves, impacted results.

The federal agency needs permission to enter a First Nation. It reported that out of the 63 communities, 25 did not allow entry.

Documents tell a more detailed story of what went on behind the scenes.

Before data collection even began, Statistics Canada, trying to sort out how to conduct a census as the pandemic raged, opted to rely more heavily on Canadians filling out their forms online rather than through face-to-face interactions.