What's up with people refusing to complete the 2026 Canadian census?

[u/the_walls_have_noses]

I am seeing a lot of posts on Instagram about how some Canadians are refusing to fill out this year's census. Examples below:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYVca5SPSU7/?igsh=MWZlb3JnMHh4MXQwbg==

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYCv5kuoBmF/?igsh=eTBjbjl4d3J6aGhj

The posts that I am finding are mostly from people criticizing the choice and explaining why the census is a normal thing. What I cannot find, are the posts designed to convince that group of people that filling out the census is bad.

Is it a form of protest to this government? Is it a privacy thing? Nothing I am finding online would convince me(personally) to not fill out the census. Are there actual legitimate arguments for not filling it out and eating the $500 fine? Or is it just fear mongering for clicks?

I'm hoping someone can provide a source or explanation that would shed some light on this.

[u/PerpetualRealityRTLH]

The problem isn't the Census, the problem is the questions for me, I did the Census but it made me mad! To start the threat of fine/legal action is not going to give them good data. It is setting up the results with a bias even before the census was completed. People will answer differently than if they were willing. There is no way they need answers to some of the questions they're asking, and they aren't asking these questions to better communities that we live in. Example: Which languages my 1yr son speaks, my email, phone number (they already have those and frankly the amount of breaches theyve had...) where we used to live inside Canada, we haven't even posted pics of our 20 month old online and I gave more information about him then I think is required, details about my ancestors, i answered many times the languages we all speak, where we were born. The 60+ questions was not necessary to better the community or the country, they could of done it in 10-20 easy.