COOK ON CARLAW: Stand up and be counted

OK, so when did being counted become such a big deal?

All this talk about people going to jail for not filling out a census form. Did I miss something here?

Some people are saying the information asked for on the long-form census is an invasion of privacy. They feel the questions asked will make them reveal too much and they should have the option of not answering.

Now I know for a fact the census form does not ask for a bank account number. It does not ask if you've ever stepped out on your wife or husband and it doesn't ask the man of the house how much money he spends buying woman's clothing online. Now of course everyone has different degrees of privacy, but overall the questions on the census form are pretty innocuous. I know, I've filled them out for the last 30 years.

So what's the problem people?

Ninety-nine per cent of people reveal more on Facebook than will ever be asked on a census form.

For example, the pictures of your trip to Cancun would be considered pornographic 25 years ago. Now it's called fun with a bunch of people you met 24 hours before the picture was taken.

Here's something else. I'm walking along Danforth last week and I overheard a woman in her mid-30s talking on her cellphone. Here is some of the conversation and yes, she knew I was behind her.

"I said to him, 'Like I'm going to do that in public'. I've done that with girlfriends in public but never with a guy. I mean I would but I'd have to know him for at least two or three weeks... I told him to take a chill pill."

OK, so I don't know exactly what she was talking about but it's pretty revealing. Nothing like this would ever be asked on a census form and I can guarantee a government official was not on the other end taking notes.

By the way, walking along the Danny this summer has been the most revealing on record.

With Youtube and the Internet, people are revealing themselves all the time, which brings me back to the question of why is everyone so freaked about the census form?

Is it because the government is asking you these questions and you're thinking Big Brother?

Let's get one thing straight, if the government wants to know what you're doing they can in five minutes.

So fill out the census form so we can make Canada a better place to live and get over your fear of being "found out."

By the way guys, I've been told woman's clothing can be quite liberating.