Statistics Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) are trying to reconcile the difference between their numbers, according to CBC News. According to the 2021 census, there are 461,240 veterans in Canada – a huge decrease from the 617,800 former military members projected by the VAC. The explanation may lie in the way VAC and Statistics Canada count veterans. The most recent census included a question about military service for the first time in 50 years. It asked respondents who were 17 years of age or older on May 11, 2021 if they had ever served in the Canadian military. VAC, on the other hand, derives its annual veteran population projection using a mathematical model based on 1971 census data, the 1988 labor force survey and annual survival rates from Statistics Canada. “This has caused VAC and Statistics Canada to re-evaluate the estimates we’ve been using for the past few decades for the estimated veteran population,” VAC spokesman Josh Bukert said in an email. Other factors could hinder efforts to get an accurate picture of the veteran population. One of these factors is the incomplete picture provided by the 1951, 1961 and 1971 censuses on which VAC partially bases its estimates. Previously, according to Statistics Canada, the census only asked men aged 35 and over whether they served in the Canadian military or other allied forces. The 2021 Census Short Form survey, which was sent to all households, broadened its question to include anyone 17 years of age or older, regardless of gender. He asked them if they had served or were currently serving in the military. Statistics Canada stated that a person could identify themselves as someone who served in the Canadian military if they served with “the Regular Force or Primary Reserve Force as an Officer or Non-Commissioned Officer”.
VAC is reviewing how it counts veterans
The VAC estimates were based on the definition of a veteran, which is anyone who completed basic training and was honorably discharged from the forces. The census is also based on self-report. A VAC spokesman said that approach could also provide an incomplete picture because some people who technically qualify as veterans may not have self-identified as veterans. The variance does not affect funding for Veterans Affairs Canada because its funding model is not based on the number of veterans in the country, said an official in the office of Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence Macaulay. The revised numbers could, however, affect how the department plans future policy. In a media statement, VAC told CBC News it will not provide further updates on the number of veterans until it re-evaluates how it counts former military members. “Our department is working with Statistics Canada to continually verify the data collected through the 2021 Census, with the goal of producing the most accurate and comprehensive view of Canada’s veteran population that we can,” the statement said. It’s not the first time Veterans Affairs has run into trouble with its calculations. An accounting error decades ago led the department to shortchange former soldiers on disability benefits for years — a mistake that ultimately cost the federal government more than $165 million to correct.
