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On behalf of the Province of Prince Edward Island, I encourage all Islanders to complete their Census of Population on Tuesday, May 10, says Finance and Municipal Affairs Minister Wes Sheridan.

“The information collected in the census ensures Islanders are counted in the population of Prince Edward Island and Canada,” said Minister Sheridan. “Because funding formulas for major federal transfer payments to the provinces are based, in part, on population counts, any person not counted in the census will result in lost dollars to the Province and, therefore, lower funding for essential programs for Islanders.”

Between May 2 and May 10, over 50,000 Island households received census questionnaires. This census collects information about every resident of Canada to create statistical profiles of age groups, communities and other topics of interest.

Canadians are legally required to complete this census questionnaire according to the Statistics Act. Once completed, the forms are kept strictly confidential; only Statistics Canada employees - sworn to secrecy - can see the completed forms.

Islanders can fill out their form and return it by mail, or enter the 15-digit access code from their census online at census2011.gc.ca.

The Census of Agriculture will be carried out at the same time as the Census of Population and its results are also used in planning for a variety of federal and provincial crop, livestock and land management programs.

Four weeks after the census, one in three Canadians will receive the new National Household Survey which collects information previously attained through the mandatory long-form census. This information provides data for government and business planning and allows the public to know more about their communities. This information is used by governments, businesses and communities to plan and support areas such as health care, family services, housing, education and skills training for employment.

“I urge all Islanders to complete the census on May 10 and count themselves in,” said Minister Sheridan. “And in four weeks, I encourage those Islanders who receive the National Household Survey to set aside a few moments from their day to complete the survey that helps provide information to support areas such as health care that are so important to the future of our One Island Community.”

For more information, visit www.gov.pe.ca/infopei/census2011.