statelessness which are not fully ‘counted’ in UNHCR statistics.”23 Despite global non-governmental efforts at calculating the global population of stateless people, states remain the primary party responsible for identifying stateless persons on their territory.24 Challenges in collecting data on statelessness There are several challenges in the course of collecting data on stateless persons and populations. States collect data on stateless persons in myriad of ways, and navigating these strategies can be complex. States tend to collect data on residents within their borders by administering voluntary or compulsory censuses. A respondent can be required to reveal their citizenship status, ethnicity, or country of former nationality. Respondents’ self-identification of citizenship status may not always be reliable, thus potentially resulting in skewed figures on the number of stateless persons. 25 Data gathered “through profiling exercises often needs to be carefully analysed and cross-checked before it can be concluded that the individuals identified are stateless.”26 In addition, stateless people may wish to keep their status hidden and avoid responding to a census that “could unintentionally expose them to undesired government interference”27 or subject them to discrimination or denationalisation practices.28 The definition of statelessness “is not as straightforward as it appears to be.”29 Several states either do not define statelessness in their domestic law, or “maintain a definition – or an interpretation – that diverges from that understood under international law, such that it is not applied uniformly across all jurisdictions.”30 Definitional clarity of statelessness is important when considering who is and is not stateless within a country, but also to understand the implications of statelessness as a distinct form of status accompanied by specific legal recourse. 31 Appropriate categorisation of stateless persons is important, whether in a migratory or in situ context32 so as to “address each situation, whether individual or protracted, in a technically appropriate way.”33 Data collection initiatives can be complex and resource intensive. Major data collection undertakings can leave out entire segments of populations because of definitional issues and methodological flaws. It is within this context that this study seeks to understand how Canada collects and reports data on stateless persons. IV. Research Questions There are two main research questions this study seeks to explore. Firstly, what are the data collection and reporting practices of Statistics Canada, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency concerning statelessness? Secondly, have 23 ISI 2014, 39 ISI 2014, 37 25 UNHCR 2011, 9 26 UNHCR 2011, 4 27 UNHCR 2011, 4 28 UNHCR 2011, 9 29 ISI 2014, 6 30 ISI 2014, 40 31 Kane 2013, 80 32 ISI 2014, 43 33 Kane 2013, 80 24 6