Lilith
10-20-2002, 04:58 PM
LOUISE ELLIOTT
Canadian Press
Saturday, October 19, 2002
OTTAWA (CP) - When Statistics Canada releases the latest data on Canadian families and living arrangements from the 2001 census on Tuesday, it will include a new category: same-sex common-law relationships.
It's the first time gay and lesbian couples in Canada have been officially counted - a landmark many view as long overdue, but which some homosexuals fear could come with a price.
Many say the move brings Canada's official bean-counters up to speed with activists, even some politicians and lawmakers.
"It's been an awful long time coming," said Gary Kinsman, chairman of the sociology department at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont.
"It's very significant that same-sex relationships are now being recognized in the census . . . this is obviously major historical progress."
But along with recognition by the record-keepers come fears about privacy and how the data will be used, said Kinsman, who lives with a same-sex partner in the northern Ontario city.
"I'm not going to feel particularly comfortable giving out information that might possibly - even though I know it's not very likely - be used against me."
The question's inclusion in the 2001 census is one more sign of the agency's changing view of the Canadian family. Twenty years ago, some found it shocking when Statistics Canada began asking for information on unwed couples living together.
Only two other countries - the United States and New Zealand - include a question on same-sex common-law partnerships in their national surveys, said Statistics Canada demographer Pierre Turcotte.
In those countries, the respondent is offered a same-sex common-law option, Turcotte said.
Canada's 2001 census took a similar approach, offering two options under the former "common-law relationship" category: "heterosexual" or "same-sex."
In the past, respondents could tick a box marked "other," and explain their living arrangement if it was other than heterosexual.
By expanding a previous question, Turcotte said, the agency is hopeful people will be more likely to respond than if faced with a brand-new query.
Turcotte stressed that all efforts are made to ensure confidentiality of census data. When the number of same-sex couples is too small in a community, the data is rounded off so as not to risk identifying anyone, for example. No names are attached to the numbers. And census takers are bound to a code of ethics that prevents them from releasing any information.
Critics have asked what took Statistics Canada so long to recognize such an obvious demographic, and why it chose to offer this option now.
Turcotte cites a chain of key court rulings which led the federal government to enshrine same-sex benefits in federal law in 2000. With the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, the government granted same-sex partners who live together the same benefits and conferred the same obligations as those granted to common-law heterosexual partners.
The legal change led to an increased demand from data-users - such as pension plans, government programs and insurance companies - hungry for information about the number and distribution of same-sex households, Turcotte said.
David Rayside, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, questioned that explanation, though he applauded the agency for finally making the change.
"It is a bit (like) them playing chicken, which is not what you would have expected out of a highly respected agency such as Statistics Canada," he said.
"I would have thought a statistics-focused agency would not have to wait for the political recognition of same-sex relationships in order to recognize that this was a demographic reality they should look at."
Rayside noted the U.S. has collected data on same-sex common-law relationships since 1990, despite the fact that country's laws are far behind Canada's in recognizing gay and lesbian rights.
Turcotte said studies showed the Canadian public wasn't prepared to answer the question until recently.
Focus groups and surveys from 1998 to 2000 indicated residents had warmed to the idea of being questioned about same-sex partnerships - something they had resisted as recently as 1993, he said.
"Based on the results from all these tests we were convinced - quite convinced - that the Canadian population was quite willing and able to answer a question," he said.
Still, not even Turcotte expects the data to be released next week to be accurate. Stigmas attached to gay and lesbian lives are still strong enough to keep a significant number of people from indicating a homosexual orientation, he said.
Dean Behrens, a University of Toronto sociologist now advising Statistics Canada on how to survey homosexuality in the Canadian population, agreed, saying the data will be an under-representation of the number of cohabiting same-sex couples.
"It's certainly not as precise as we would like, but it's some data and it's better than nothing at all," he said.
People living in smaller or remote communities are less likely to report since they may suspect the information will get out, Behrens noted, which may lead to geographical skewing of data.
He added that, over time, the quality of the data will improve as people get used to the question.
"What you're going to see is individuals looking at this and saying, 'I didn't feel this way last year, but maybe I'll fill it out this year,' " he said. "People are going to say, 'Oh, so this (category) exists.' "
That's what happened in the United States, where the reporting jumped significantly between 1990 and 2000.
In 1990, the agency reported that 81,343 gay male and 63,787 lesbian couples had declared, for a total of 145,130 homosexual couples living common law. That compared with 301,026 gay males and 293,365 lesbians in 2000, for a total of 594,391. The total increase over the decade was 360 per cent.
The U.S. Census Bureau argues the data are not comparable between the two surveys because of changes to the way the question was posed and responses tabulated.
Behrens notes the numbers released Tuesday won't indicate the total number of gays and lesbians in Canada, but only those who are cohabiting, and only those willing to acknowledge so in the survey.
The question of sexual orientation has been kept off the census because of the structure of census reporting, Behrens said, which relies on one member of the household to fill out information for all inhabitants. This poses a problem because of the secrecy for many surrounding their sexuality.
Instead, Statistics Canada has opted to include the question in its 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey.
For many homosexuals, the satisfaction of finally being included in the census is tinged with anxiety.
Laurentian's Kinsman notes that while Canadians may have opened the door to greater acceptance of same-sex relationships, partly following the proliferation of examples in popular culture, everyday reality is something different.
"I've actually experienced anti-gay remarks made about me as I walk up and down the street where I live," he said.
"We've made incredible progress . . . but in terms of substantive rights, people have made a lot less progress."
For many couples, privacy, safety and financial fears - due to taxation changes - form part of the concern about identifying themselves publicly, Kinsman said.
Ambivalence about the census is common, said John Fisher, executive director of the prominent gay-rights group EGALE.
"The government continues to go to court to argue our relationships should not be treated equally," he said. "Our members have understandably some concern about government being the agency that collects this information."
In the end, EGALE was so convinced the census was confidential, it distributed kits saying so and encouraged gay and lesbian couples to take part in the section on common-law relationships.
Ann Byford, who works in the publishing industry and lives with her same-sex partner in Burlington Ont., noted the numbers generated by the census are a necessary step toward inclusion.
"The more we make ourselves visible, the more difficult it will be for private sector insurance companies and legislative bodies not to extend to us rights that are promised by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms," she said.
"I'm happy there's an effort being made, but to be honest, I'm getting tired of continually having to negotiate by numbers for privileges that . . . I'm already supposed to have."
Tuesday's release will be the third instalment of 2001 census data.
In the first, the agency reported Canada's population continues to migrate to urban centres, and its main source of population growth is immigration.
In a second release, the agency reported that an aging population bulge known as the boom generation will soon be facing retirement, posing questions for Canada's social services, pension funds and job market.
The next release on Dec. 10 deals with language, with Statistics Canada providing snapshots of immigration on Jan. 21, the labour force on Feb. 11, education on March 11 and finally religion on May 13.
Canadian Press
Saturday, October 19, 2002
OTTAWA (CP) - When Statistics Canada releases the latest data on Canadian families and living arrangements from the 2001 census on Tuesday, it will include a new category: same-sex common-law relationships.
It's the first time gay and lesbian couples in Canada have been officially counted - a landmark many view as long overdue, but which some homosexuals fear could come with a price.
Many say the move brings Canada's official bean-counters up to speed with activists, even some politicians and lawmakers.
"It's been an awful long time coming," said Gary Kinsman, chairman of the sociology department at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont.
"It's very significant that same-sex relationships are now being recognized in the census . . . this is obviously major historical progress."
But along with recognition by the record-keepers come fears about privacy and how the data will be used, said Kinsman, who lives with a same-sex partner in the northern Ontario city.
"I'm not going to feel particularly comfortable giving out information that might possibly - even though I know it's not very likely - be used against me."
The question's inclusion in the 2001 census is one more sign of the agency's changing view of the Canadian family. Twenty years ago, some found it shocking when Statistics Canada began asking for information on unwed couples living together.
Only two other countries - the United States and New Zealand - include a question on same-sex common-law partnerships in their national surveys, said Statistics Canada demographer Pierre Turcotte.
In those countries, the respondent is offered a same-sex common-law option, Turcotte said.
Canada's 2001 census took a similar approach, offering two options under the former "common-law relationship" category: "heterosexual" or "same-sex."
In the past, respondents could tick a box marked "other," and explain their living arrangement if it was other than heterosexual.
By expanding a previous question, Turcotte said, the agency is hopeful people will be more likely to respond than if faced with a brand-new query.
Turcotte stressed that all efforts are made to ensure confidentiality of census data. When the number of same-sex couples is too small in a community, the data is rounded off so as not to risk identifying anyone, for example. No names are attached to the numbers. And census takers are bound to a code of ethics that prevents them from releasing any information.
Critics have asked what took Statistics Canada so long to recognize such an obvious demographic, and why it chose to offer this option now.
Turcotte cites a chain of key court rulings which led the federal government to enshrine same-sex benefits in federal law in 2000. With the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, the government granted same-sex partners who live together the same benefits and conferred the same obligations as those granted to common-law heterosexual partners.
The legal change led to an increased demand from data-users - such as pension plans, government programs and insurance companies - hungry for information about the number and distribution of same-sex households, Turcotte said.
David Rayside, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, questioned that explanation, though he applauded the agency for finally making the change.
"It is a bit (like) them playing chicken, which is not what you would have expected out of a highly respected agency such as Statistics Canada," he said.
"I would have thought a statistics-focused agency would not have to wait for the political recognition of same-sex relationships in order to recognize that this was a demographic reality they should look at."
Rayside noted the U.S. has collected data on same-sex common-law relationships since 1990, despite the fact that country's laws are far behind Canada's in recognizing gay and lesbian rights.
Turcotte said studies showed the Canadian public wasn't prepared to answer the question until recently.
Focus groups and surveys from 1998 to 2000 indicated residents had warmed to the idea of being questioned about same-sex partnerships - something they had resisted as recently as 1993, he said.
"Based on the results from all these tests we were convinced - quite convinced - that the Canadian population was quite willing and able to answer a question," he said.
Still, not even Turcotte expects the data to be released next week to be accurate. Stigmas attached to gay and lesbian lives are still strong enough to keep a significant number of people from indicating a homosexual orientation, he said.
Dean Behrens, a University of Toronto sociologist now advising Statistics Canada on how to survey homosexuality in the Canadian population, agreed, saying the data will be an under-representation of the number of cohabiting same-sex couples.
"It's certainly not as precise as we would like, but it's some data and it's better than nothing at all," he said.
People living in smaller or remote communities are less likely to report since they may suspect the information will get out, Behrens noted, which may lead to geographical skewing of data.
He added that, over time, the quality of the data will improve as people get used to the question.
"What you're going to see is individuals looking at this and saying, 'I didn't feel this way last year, but maybe I'll fill it out this year,' " he said. "People are going to say, 'Oh, so this (category) exists.' "
That's what happened in the United States, where the reporting jumped significantly between 1990 and 2000.
In 1990, the agency reported that 81,343 gay male and 63,787 lesbian couples had declared, for a total of 145,130 homosexual couples living common law. That compared with 301,026 gay males and 293,365 lesbians in 2000, for a total of 594,391. The total increase over the decade was 360 per cent.
The U.S. Census Bureau argues the data are not comparable between the two surveys because of changes to the way the question was posed and responses tabulated.
Behrens notes the numbers released Tuesday won't indicate the total number of gays and lesbians in Canada, but only those who are cohabiting, and only those willing to acknowledge so in the survey.
The question of sexual orientation has been kept off the census because of the structure of census reporting, Behrens said, which relies on one member of the household to fill out information for all inhabitants. This poses a problem because of the secrecy for many surrounding their sexuality.
Instead, Statistics Canada has opted to include the question in its 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey.
For many homosexuals, the satisfaction of finally being included in the census is tinged with anxiety.
Laurentian's Kinsman notes that while Canadians may have opened the door to greater acceptance of same-sex relationships, partly following the proliferation of examples in popular culture, everyday reality is something different.
"I've actually experienced anti-gay remarks made about me as I walk up and down the street where I live," he said.
"We've made incredible progress . . . but in terms of substantive rights, people have made a lot less progress."
For many couples, privacy, safety and financial fears - due to taxation changes - form part of the concern about identifying themselves publicly, Kinsman said.
Ambivalence about the census is common, said John Fisher, executive director of the prominent gay-rights group EGALE.
"The government continues to go to court to argue our relationships should not be treated equally," he said. "Our members have understandably some concern about government being the agency that collects this information."
In the end, EGALE was so convinced the census was confidential, it distributed kits saying so and encouraged gay and lesbian couples to take part in the section on common-law relationships.
Ann Byford, who works in the publishing industry and lives with her same-sex partner in Burlington Ont., noted the numbers generated by the census are a necessary step toward inclusion.
"The more we make ourselves visible, the more difficult it will be for private sector insurance companies and legislative bodies not to extend to us rights that are promised by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms," she said.
"I'm happy there's an effort being made, but to be honest, I'm getting tired of continually having to negotiate by numbers for privileges that . . . I'm already supposed to have."
Tuesday's release will be the third instalment of 2001 census data.
In the first, the agency reported Canada's population continues to migrate to urban centres, and its main source of population growth is immigration.
In a second release, the agency reported that an aging population bulge known as the boom generation will soon be facing retirement, posing questions for Canada's social services, pension funds and job market.
The next release on Dec. 10 deals with language, with Statistics Canada providing snapshots of immigration on Jan. 21, the labour force on Feb. 11, education on March 11 and finally religion on May 13.