I'm so angry. I've just put the phone down on a man from statistics Canada who is telling me that it is mandatory that I continue to participate in the labour force survey. We initially received a letter saying we had been chosen to participate and then someone came to our door shortly afterwards to do the survey. I did my bit at the time, but ever since then they have been calling monthly to 'follow up' with the same questions and frankly I'm sick of it. I've been ignoring their calls but tonight, in the space of two minutes, they called my phone 10 times! I eventually picked it up and told the guy on the other end that I was busy and didn't want to do this any more. He then tells me it's mandatory. So when I asked what would happen if I didn't do it he said the 'government would be getting in touch with me' (I've now got Men In Black-style images in my mind!). He proceeded to tell me that if I stopped arguing with him, we would have it done by now. Well, that was it, I told him to get lost, let the government get in touch with me and his only much-repeated answer to me was 'what time can I call back?'. Any legal-eagles out there know if this is BS or if it is truly 'mandatory' and there's a black lincoln navigator coming down my street to whisk me off to gitmo with a bag on my head as we speak?!

Yes, it is madatory.

It's mandatory but I think he meant the Canadian government so it'll be PEI, not gitmo.

Yeah what he said. Other surveys are voluntary, but this one is mandatory as specified here

STATISTICS ACT

1985, c. S-19
amended by
1988, c. 65, s. 146
1990, c. 45, s. 54
1992, c. 1, ss. 130, 131
2005, c. 31
2005, c. 38

You should get a fine at best. At worst a court order and possible removal from the country

I'd call and apologise before going ahead and completing the survey if I were you.

You could really be in deep shit on this one

Do not **** with Canadian bureaucracy.

If you do, you'll end up dealing with exponentially more each time.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/about-apercu/act-loi-eng.htm

False or unlawful information

31. Every person who, without lawful excuse,

(a) refuses or neglects to answer, or wilfully answers falsely, any question requisite for obtaining any information sought in respect of the objects of this Act or pertinent thereto that has been asked of him by any person employed or deemed to be employed under this Act, or

(b) refuses or neglects to furnish any information or to fill in to the best of his knowledge and belief any schedule or form that the person has been required to fill in, and to return the same when and as required of him pursuant to this Act, or knowingly gives false or misleading information or practises any other deception thereunder

is, for every refusal or neglect, or false answer or deception, guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both. 1970-71-72, c. 15, s. 29.



And...

http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV...db&adm=8&dis=2

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

A list of the questions can be obtained here: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/71-543-...ndice2-eng.htm