This paper by Statistics Canada describes how the agency is addressing both internal and external pressures to change its collection, processing and dissemination strategies. Using a number of pilot tests and phasing changes over the 2001 and 2006 Census cycles, the agency is moving away from a decentralized, manually intensive collection and data entry operation to a more centralized and automated approach. This will in particular address key concerns regarding confidentiality and security of personal census data.

Paper presented at the Joint ECE-EUROSTAT Work Session on Population and Housing Censuses (Ohrid, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 21-23 May 2003).