The first numbers of the most recent census are in, and they confirm what we already knew: Canadians love filling out government-issued paperwork.

So much so, in fact, that Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains hailed it the most successful in Canadian history.

The 2016 census boasted a 98.4 per cent response rate, which is 29 per cent higher than the voter turnout in the 2015 election.

Before we get all proud and giddy, though, let’s consider the signficant reason we were so keen about the census: it was mandatory. As in, a fine of up to $500 and/or three months in jail if you don’t fill it out mandatory.

Indeed^.

That means 1.6 per cent of Canadians face some sort of punishment for ignoring their civil duty to tell our government all about the details of their dwelling. Surely they aren’t among those who consider Chief Statistician Wayne R. Smith Canada’s Beyonce.

Filling out the census – the long-form of which was re-introduced by the Liberal government this year after the Conservatives scrapped it in 2011 – is, of course, a good thing. Decisions for and about an entire population are made much more wisely based on data than one’s impulse to be cool, for example.

So thank you, dear Government, for your no-nonsense imposition of this document, and to fellow Canadians who so obediently participated. This was undoubtedly the most unifying moment of our nation’s history.

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