Opposition Liberals are calling for the Commons industry committee to reconvene over the Tory government's refusal to produce documents related to its decision to drop the long-form census.
Liberal MP Mark Holland says the Conservatives are ignoring a committee order to release the documents.
By a 6-5 vote, the industry committee passed a motion July 27 calling on Industry Minister Tony Clement to provide "all documents and emails between Statistics Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Minister of Industry’s office on changes to the 2011 census."
The committee also requested the analysis given to cabinet before it made what the Liberals are calling a "secret decision without consultation."
It gave the government five days to comply.
Now the Liberals want the committee to start hearings as soon as possible to hear from individuals and organizations that have strongly condemned the elimination of the mandatory census.
Holland said the decision to replace the mandatory process with a single-page, voluntary questionnaire "isn’t about the threat of jail time."
He said no one has been jailed for refusing to fill out the census and all parties could agree to "simply get rid of the jail penalties."
"What this is really about is launching a full scale attack on the ability of governments, charities, religious groups, medical associations and many more organizations to make fact-based decisions that help Canadians in their day-to-day lives."
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ASKBiblitz.com
1 year ago
Census boondoggle just bureaucratic grift protection
This guy at StatsCan has a lot of friends, it seems. How many bureaucrats will lose their jobs/budgets/grift$ if/when the long form census is no longer mandatory.
It's not as if planning authorities ever use census information to guide their approach to development applications! A Canada-wide crisis in affordable housing certainly tells the story. See http://www.askbiblitz.com/housing4.php
Follow the money, Tyee. Find out who stands to lose it if/when this particular program is cut.
alive
1 year ago
not really!
I am sure that census statistics are used along with any demographic stats available.
The problem lies in implementing the findings, or rather in the will to spend the money needed.
Without the long form, it would be even more difficult to prove or demand new initiatives.
jim1966
1 year ago
It Would Have Been Nice
Yep, once again government makes a move without consultation via the people. This is really a non-issue, why not give people the choice, you can either do the long or the short form, your choice. I think that the census is an important tool, although tiresome it's still important. And yes it does get sold off for marketing etc but some of the data collected is used to aid in our programs and services. Until another better way can be utilized as effective as this one I say we should continue to have a census in one form or another. Just a thought..
morechatter
1 year ago
There goes accountability
down the drain as Harper's government looks to get rid of the facts that get in the way. Harper's Conservatives live in a world of their own where crime pays big time to the tune of 9.5 billion as private prisons will soon open those doors with the opportunity to lock Canadians up and spend billions. Harper's new initiatives to lock Canadians up is not faltered with any rehabilitation programs or such that could get in the way of locking Canadians up. What stats is Harper using to come up with the numbers for prison is new to me as petty crimes and homelessness will soon get you time in a federal penitentiary because there are billions to be made locking Canadians up?