Statistics Canada Comes Up With A Questionable Term To Describe An Economic Trend

Canada’s sharing economic trend is gaining momentum but some critics say there is no sharing involved.

In a recent report released by Statistics Canada, the caption narrated the recent economic trend with is increasing at a rapid pace: between November 2015 and October 2016, 2.7 million Canadian adult took part in the “sharing economy” in which they spent close to $1.31 billion.

In recent times, Canadian adults have been making use of four services that are considered as a new means of “sharing economy”. They include ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft, and short-term home rental service Airbnb and Flipkey.

Although Statistics Canada has been asking Canadians about how they make use of these four services, public policy experts are however not in accord with this stating that when government agencies makes descriptions such as “sharing economy”, they misleading people about the effects such services have on people.

According to Sunil Johal, policy director at the Mowat Center at the University of Toronto, words goes a long way when it comes to economic matters. Hence if government agencies makes use of words like “the sharing economy” it implies they approve it as legal and give right for those involved in such services a go ahead.

Trish Hennessy, director of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives also added that if government agencies make use of terms such as “sharing economy” without giving an intensive explanation for making use of the term, it means they are also in agreement with what the public imply of the said term.

Some research have even proposed that for many people that get to hear of the term “sharing economy” for the first time link it with selflessness or mutual help.

Sharing is one term that most people believe means to care or help.

Regardless of the fact that critics point out to the fact that essential people involved in these “sharing economy” services are not actually sharing, the term has however been deeply rooted in people backed by news media looking for ways to make the term look more appealing.

Thus it becomes quite easy for people to make use of the term unconsciously just like Hennessy in the context of “on-demand service economy” is more appropriate. Hennessy went on to add people will get to understand the term “sharing economy” in comparison to “on-demand service economy.”

Under the circumstances, Statistics Canada also found it much easier to go with what people know when they made their release referring to “the sharing economy”.

According to Myriam Hazel, a senior analyst with Statistics Canada in an email stated that the agency is quite aware of the implication of the term and it is not line with the transactions that they usually rate. But because the term is publicly recognized, it was used in the analysis.

Nevertheless, the agency is not the only section of government that makes use of the term. Other government institutions, provincial and local government bodies also make use of term but critics are warning that they are taking a risk.

Airbnb spokeswoman Alex Dagg explained that the main reason why Airbnb calls it “sharing” is because the sharing economy is established on allocating underused assets or services, directly from one person to another.