# Canada Census

> Fill the Government of Canada Census of Population online (census.gc.ca) with agent-browser, gathering every answer from the user in chat — never invents data, always stops for human review before submitting. Use when someone says 'fill my census', 'complete the Canada census', 'do the StatCan census questionnaire', or has a secure access code for census.gc.ca.

- Skill: `pooriaarab/canada-census` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add pooriaarab/canada-census`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/pooriaarab/canada-census/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: pooriaarab (https://skillmd.com/u/pooriaarab)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/pooriaarab/canada-census

---


# canada-census

Works for both the **short form** (~10 questions, most households) and the **long form** (1-in-4, adds income, work, education, ethnicity, religion, activities of daily living, etc.), driven with [agent-browser](https://github.com/...).

**Not for**: other StatCan surveys (the WET form quirks transfer, but the question flow differs), or filling a census with invented data — every answer must come from the real respondent.

## Non-negotiable rules

1. **Zero PII in this skill.** Never hardcode names, addresses, dates, or access codes. Every personal answer comes from the live conversation. Do not write answers to disk as part of running the skill.
2. **Never auto-submit.** A census is a legal government filing. Fill everything, then present a complete review table and **wait for the user's explicit "submit"** before clicking Submit. No exceptions.
3. **Accuracy over speed.** These are the respondent's true answers, not plausible guesses. When an answer isn't obvious, ask. Surface anything you inferred so the user can correct it at review.
4. **Ask, don't assume — but don't over-ask.** Batch obvious "No to all" exclusion questions into one confirmation; ask individually for anything identifying or ambiguous (gender, relationship, marital status, languages, income).

## Workflow

```dot
digraph census {
  "Get access code from user" [shape=box];
  "Launch isolated headed agent-browser session" [shape=box];
  "Open census.gc.ca, enter access code" [shape=box];
  "Snapshot current page" [shape=box];
  "Identify question type(s)" [shape=diamond];
  "Ask user for answer(s) in chat" [shape=box];
  "Fill fields (see gotchas)" [shape=box];
  "Click #__btnNext" [shape=box];
  "Soft 'Attention' warning?" [shape=diamond];
  "Refine answer or accept" [shape=box];
  "On comments/submit page?" [shape=diamond];
  "Present full review table" [shape=box];
  "User says submit?" [shape=diamond];
  "Click #__btnSubmit, capture confirmation code" [shape=doublecircle];

  "Get access code from user" -> "Launch isolated headed agent-browser session";
  "Launch isolated headed agent-browser session" -> "Open census.gc.ca, enter access code";
  "Open census.gc.ca, enter access code" -> "Snapshot current page";
  "Snapshot current page" -> "Identify question type(s)";
  "Identify question type(s)" -> "Ask user for answer(s) in chat";
  "Ask user for answer(s) in chat" -> "Fill fields (see gotchas)";
  "Fill fields (see gotchas)" -> "Click #__btnNext";
  "Click #__btnNext" -> "Soft 'Attention' warning?";
  "Soft 'Attention' warning?" -> "Refine answer or accept" [label="yes"];
  "Refine answer or accept" -> "Click #__btnNext";
  "Soft 'Attention' warning?" -> "On comments/submit page?" [label="no"];
  "On comments/submit page?" -> "Snapshot current page" [label="no, next step"];
  "On comments/submit page?" -> "Present full review table" [label="yes"];
  "Present full review table" -> "User says submit?";
  "User says submit?" -> "Present full review table" [label="no, fix"];
  "User says submit?" -> "Click #__btnSubmit, capture confirmation code" [label="yes"];
}
```

### Step 1 — Access code

Ask the user for their **secure access code** (printed on their census letter/invitation; format `1234 5678 9012 3456`). If they don't have one, point them to "Obtain a secure access code" on the login page.

### Step 2 — Launch the browser

Use an **isolated, headed** agent-browser session so the user can watch and you don't collide with any other automation:

```bash
# AGENT_BROWSER_AUTO_CONNECT may be forced in the environment; unset it per-command.
env -u AGENT_BROWSER_AUTO_CONNECT agent-browser --session census --headed open https://census.gc.ca
```

Click **"Start questionnaire"**, enter the access code, click **Start**.

### Step 3 — Page loop (the core)

For each page: **snapshot → identify questions → ask the user → fill → advance.** Re-snapshot every page; refs are invalidated by navigation. The form **dynamically skips** questions based on prior answers (e.g., "question 7 is not applicable, proceed to question 8") — never assume fixed question numbers. See `references/flow-map.md` for the observed step sequence as a guide.

Filling fields is where the StatCan WET form fights back. **Read `references/agent-browser-gotchas.md` before filling anything** — the short version:
- **Radios/checkboxes:** the visible inputs are hidden; `agent-browser check`/`click @ref` sets the value but does **not** fire the `change` event the form's validation needs, so Next silently won't advance. Fix with `eval`: uncheck the group, then native `.click()` on the target.
- **Next button:** there are **two** "Next" buttons; the first is invisible (`class="wb-inv"`). Always click **`#__btnNext`** via `eval`, never a text/role locator.
- **Text & dropdowns** work natively (`fill`, `select`) and fire proper events.

### Step 4 — Soft "Attention" warnings

The form may return a non-blocking **"Attention"** notice (e.g., "be more specific than *Persian* — report *Dari* or *Iranian Persian*"). Refine the answer if the more-specific term is correct, otherwise the user may accept the original by pressing Next again. Confirm the precise term with the user when unsure.

### Step 5 — Review gate (mandatory)

When you reach the **Comments / Submit** page (Step E), STOP. Present a **complete review table** of every question and answer. Flag anything you inferred. Ask the user to verify and explicitly approve. **Only on an explicit "submit" do you continue.**

### Step 6 — Submit & capture

On approval, click **`#__btnSubmit`** via `eval`. Capture the **confirmation code** from the "Thank you" page and a screenshot — this is the respondent's proof of submission. Relay the code to the user and tell them to save it.

---

## Security — the access code is the user's secret

The census "secure access code" is a one-time secret the **user** enters. The agent must never store it, write it to disk, print it back, or include it in logs, snapshots, or summaries — type it into the site field and discard it from working memory immediately. It is scoped to a single questionnaire; treat it like a password. (Already enforced: zero PII stored, human review before submit.)