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Updated July 28, 2010
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KEEP THE CENSUS LONG FORM QUESTIONNAIRE!
Scroll down past the yellow boxes for the latest links to media
coverage
(video
on demand)
Topic : The Long Census Form
Tuesday,
July 27
NOTE: the above link is actually to the first of a connected series of videos
from the day-long event. The day's agenda appears below; each asterisk is
a separate video that you can only access by fast forwarding through sections
that are of less interest. Move
the video progress indicator manually along the bar at the bottom of the
video screen. To skip to the next video in the collection, move the progress
indicator
to the far right of the bar.
_________________
Agenda:
Committee Members met in Ottawa to hear testimony on the government’s
plan to make the long census form voluntary instead of mandatory.
Speakers included:
* Industry
Minister Tony Clement (first hour of the video; mostly tedious repetition
of speaking points...)
* Munir Sheikh , who resigned as Chief Statistician of Statistics Canada
on July 21 because of the dispute, and Ivan Fellegi, the previous Chief
Statistician of Canada
* Panel discussion:
--- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi professor Martin
Simard
--- Statistical Society of Canada president Don McLeish
--- York University professor David Tanny
--- Québécois Libre English editor Bradley Doucet
* Panel discussion:
--- Ernie Boyko, Adjunct Data Librarian at the Carleton
University Library Data Centre
--- Don Drummond, chair of the Advisory Panel on Labour Market Information
--- Paul Hébert, editor-in-chief of the Canadian Medical Association
Journal
--- Darrell Bricker, president of IPSOS Canada
--- Niels Veldhuis, senior research economist at the Fraser Institute, via
videoconference from Vancouver).
* Panel discussion:
--- Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner
--- Peter Coleman, National Citizens' Coalition president
--- Elisapee Sheutiapik, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami board member
--- Paul McKeever, employment lawyer
--- Marie-France Kenny, president of the Canadian Federation of Francophone
and Acadian Communities
Source:
(Canadian Parliamentary Channel)
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This page contains 150+ links to online resources,
mostly in reverse chronological order.
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The Story So Far...
The Harper government is moving to eliminate the Canada Census long form questionnaire and replace it with a voluntary survey. The long form was sent to 20% of households and is a critical source of information about diversity, employment, income, education and other characteristics of Canadians. It is essential to business, research, planning and good public policies and programs. Stakeholders ranging from the business community, to university researchers to social justice advocates are raising their voices to oppose this move. [ Source: Excerpt from ]
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NOTE: The rest of this page is (mostly) in reverse chronological
order, with the most recent addition at the top of the page.
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July 23-28, 2010
From:
Jennefer Laidley
Interim Research and Policy Analyst
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)
ISAC website:
You want privacy? Shut the bedroom door:
Three cheers for a hidden agenda!:
What happened at the committee hearings today - Clement
says he’s finding the balance, Sheikh says StatsCan’s reputation
has suffered:
CBC:
Post:
Globe:
Star:
Pre-committee piece from Star:
It’s been months in the making:
Why’d he take so long to resign?:
Criticism of Spector’s position, and great data
and links:
Munir Sheikh an unlikely hero:
Here’s what integrity and leadership look like:
An independent mind:
Compromise urged:
National Stats Council comes out against:
And proposes a compromise:
Post:
Globe:
Here’s what the NSC actually said:
Globe editorial gets behind the NSC’s middle
way:
Poll says Canadians like the long form:
Cuts even deeper for disability advocates:
How to get the information through other means:
Flaherty’s position:
Retirees not happy:
Francophones and Acadians take government to court:
Steelworkers’ letter:
Letter from Census Committee of IRPP:
Note: these are ‘strange bedfellows’:
Concordia Student Union doesn’t like it:
RNAO doesn’t like it:
Ontario Public School Boards doesn’t like it:
Quebec Community Groups Network doesn’t like
it:
The debate in BC:
And in Quebec:
What Ban Ki-Moon thinks:
Why the census matters:
Star:
Globe:
Progressive Economics:
It’s the Tea Party North:
Harper and the history of the census:
Filling out the census is not so bad:
Problems with European census models:
Voluntary census tested then scrapped in US:
Globe:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/us-tested-then-scrapped-voluntary-census/article1645137/
Post:
What’s next?:
Smart parties, stupid decisions:
Anachronistic, coercive, and unnecessary:
Um, who is being tyrannical?:
The issue is control:
The issue is Harper:
The spat over national unity:
Corcoran’s take:
The corner of Ideology and Reason (I think that’s
somewhere in downtown Ottawa ):
Why Stats Can isn’t independent:
Census decision is US-style dollar-store demagoguery:
The Hogan’s Heroes defence:
Conscientious objection?:
Bad Politics 101:
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Munir Sheikh had no choice but to resign as head of Statistics Canada
By Jeffrey Simpson
July 23, 2010
(...) The Statistics Canada fight is not the usual clash of competing
political visions, of left against right, of Conservatives against progressives.
Rather, this is a fight about rational decision-making that requires the
best fact-based evidence available against a reliance on ideological nostrums
that scorn facts and reason when they stand in the way of those nostrums.
Source:
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Here's an analysis of the situation that I find scary.
By Paul Saurette Associate Professor of Political Studies, University
of Ottawa
July 23, 2010
The Harper government's decision to make the long-form census voluntary
is terrible policy, but there is method in their madness.
(...) One of the core beliefs of many conservative intellectuals and activists
is that decades of Liberal dominance in Ottawa has created an octopus-like
configuration of arms-length organizations with mandates to mine statistical
data (much of it collected by StatsCan) to discover inequalities and other
structural patterns, and then to lobby the government and Canadian society
to reduce these inequalities through social programs. This drives many
conservatives up the wall for many reasons...
(...) Many argue that changing the census policy is simply an example
of the government acting the bully – arbitrarily enforcing bad policy
because they are too short-sighted and stubborn to appreciate the consequences
of this policy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Rather than underestimating
the importance and impact of this policy, the government understands precisely
the central role this change has in their long-term goal of cultivating
a very different political culture in Canada.
Source:
- "The people
and ideas behind the headlines"
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From the :
(video,
6:53)
July 22, 2010
BNN discusses the relationship between civil servants and the government
with Michael Mendelson, senior scholar, Caledon Institute of Social
Policy, and a former deputy minister in Ontario and Manitoba.
A two-part discussion:
(video, 7:40)
(video, 8:27)
July 22, 2010
The head of StatsCan has quit, saying a voluntary census can't replace
a mandatory one. BNN discusses the importance of censuses with Penni
Stewart, president, Canadian Association of University Teachers; Catherine
Swift, president, Canadian Federation of Independent Business; and
Peter Hume, president of the Association of Ontario Municipalities.
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July 22, 2010
Industry Minister Tony Clement has dismissed growing calls for him to
reverse his decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census, saying he
and Prime Minister Stephen Harper are on the same page on the issue.
Source:
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July 21, 2010
Munir Sheikh, the head of Statistics Canada, resigned Wednesday over the
federal government's decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census.
"I want to take this opportunity to comment on a technical statistical
issue which has become the subject of media discussion. This relates to
the question of whether a voluntary survey can become a substitute for
a mandatory census," Sheikh said in a release. "It cannot,"
he said. "Under the circumstances, I have tendered my resignation
to the prime minister."
Source:
July 22, 2010
By Tracey Lauriault
Our Chief Statistician Resigned Yesterday. A first for Canada.
Full text of Munir Sheikh's resignation letter, which was posted briefly
on the Statistics Canada website until Steve made them take it down.
Source:
Our thanks to you for that, Mr. Sheikh.
You are a man of integrity, and a true public servant.
Related link:
(video)
["SYCOPHANCY" : See "Fraser Institute"]
July 19, 2010
Major changes to census collection in our country has [sic] many groups
concerned, including here in Alberta. Instead of a mandatory long-form
census the federal government will now supply a shorter, voluntary form.
The feds say they're responding to complaints that the census infringes
on privacy rights, critics say the information collected is vital for
health care, our economy and for long term municipal planning. How critical
is census information? Will the quality and usability of the information
suffer? And how will you be impacted? Joining us for this conversation
are Niels Veldhuis, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser
Institute and Derek Cook, a research and social planner with
the city of Calgary.
Source:
[ ]
NOTE: My reference to The Fraser's servile flattery is deserved, IMHO.
At last count, it was Stephen Harper and the Fraser Institute vs. the
rest of the frikkin' country.
Where's, oh where, is Marge Princess Warrior when we need her??
Also from Derek Cook
of the City of Calgary:
Derek Cook
March 2010
The author of this article in the March 2010 issue of the Policy Research
Initiative's Horizons magazine contends that the Harper government's
decision to replace the long form Census questionnaire is completely
at odds with the recent direction of Statscan and the data user community.
The article discusses a developing partnership with Statscan over
recent years that is incongruent with the new direction set down by
the ruling Conservative party. The article
speaks about some recent work of the Community Social Data Strategy
and the Quality of Life Reporting System on the joint development
of the Municipal and Community Data Access Initiative. "Through
these initiatives, communities work collaboratively with Statistics
Canada to increase access to information and more effectively engage
with senior orders of government."
[* Donec prohibiti, procidite = "proceed
until apprehended"]
Source:
<=== click for links
to 15 more articles on place-based sustainable development
(Volume 10 Number 4)
[ ]
[
The Policy Research Initiative (PRI) is a policy research organization
for the whole of the federal government specialized in early stage work
on issues involving several federal departments. The PRI bridges the
span between the policy research community inside and outside of government
and the policy development community within government on issues...
]
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Earlier media coverage of the Census questionnaire
issue:
July 21-22
From:
Jennefer Laidley
Interim Research and Policy Analyst
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)
ISAC website:
ISAC's Social Assistance Review website:
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You may wish to vote on the Census question.
T here are currently a couple of polls, one on the Globe site and one
on the CBC:
1)
2)
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The Census:
Perhaps the biggest news is the resignation of the Chief Statistician, Munir Sheikh:
CBC:
Globe:
Star:
Post:
On the implications:
Spector:
Ibbitson:
GREAT column from Travers:
Globe editorial:
The Opposition parties are calling for a reversal of the decision:
CBC:
Globe:
Post:
But there has been all kinds of other coverage of this issue over the last two days – far too much for me to include here (I can’t keep up!). But here are a few juicy ones:
The history of Canada ’s 345-year-old Census:
Ten ways the Census affects regular Canadians:
Tony Clement gives his reasoning:
Carol Goar on the alienation of voters:
Decision gets a drubbing in Quebec :
Provinces not pleased:
Neither is Toronto Planning:
Creating Harper Hysteria (note the comment about
a “lame protest song”):
Here’s that “lame protest song”,
by the way, which has been featured in most major media for the last
couple of days:
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Here's the view from the
:
* [June 30] to the
Honourable Tony Clement, Ministry of Industry and Minister Responsible
for Statistics Canada and Munir Sheikh, Chief Statistician, Statistics
Canada.
- includes some compelling reasons why the Census long-form questionnaire
is an important tool for good policy-making and accountability
"(...) This is not the first Statistics Canada survey to be cut or
compromised during the administration of the current government in areas
of inquiry that help develop or assess the impact of public policy..."
* - mp3 [July 5]
* , in Rolling Thunder
Census Review [July 9]
"(...) Clearly the vast majority of Canadians do not mistrust StatCan,
the Census of the government. But if this government works hard enough
at it, all that will change. Instead of standing by and letting that happen,
a remarkable cross-section of Canadian society - bankers and business
consultants, city planners, immigration and settlement workers, community
service providers, charities and municipalities, academics and public
health officials - is discussing how best to come together to reverse
this decision.
* A media roundup of top . [up to July 12]
* in this New twist on census story [July 15]
* Armine comments as [July 16]
Source:
[ ]
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Sign the Petition to Keep the Canada
Census Long Form:
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Join the Facebook Group:
"Do you think the long-form census questionnaire is an intrusion
on the privacy of Canadians?"
As at Sunday July18 at 8am, YES has 51% (16124 votes) to 49% for NO (15536
votes)"
Surprise, surprise. Given the source of this poll, I would've expected
those numbers to be much more tilted in favour of the G&M audience,
i.e., hands-off-my-private-info libertarians.
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For the first time in 35 years, the Canadian census will not have a long
form questionnaire. The Harper government decided to replace it with a
voluntary survey, the National Household Survey. No consultation has preceded
this decision. The consequences are important and the opponents are numerous...
- incl. 150+ links to comments, letters,
articles in the printed media, news releases, and more, mostly from Québec
Source:
Click the 2011 Census link above to see
letters and
articles from supporters of the long form questionnaire, including:
* the Fédération des travailleurs
et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ)
* the Association of Educational Researchers of
Ontario
* the Canadian Labour Congress
* the Département de démographie
of the Université de Montréal
* the Statistics Canada Advisory Committee on Demographic
Statistics and Studies
* the Canadian Historical Association
* the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association
* the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
* the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and
Archives
* Investigation launched by the Commissioner of
Official Languages
* the Canadian Economics Association
* the Canadian Research Data Centre
* the Canadian Network of Metropolis Centers PPT
file ...
* the Cities Centre of University of Toronto
* Canadian Association of University Teachers
* the Canadian Association for Business Economics
+ Other Articles
Source:
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Information allows us to make informed decisions
By RICHARD SHEARMUR
July 6, 2010
The government's recent decision to do away with the census's mandatory
long questionnaire might appear to many people as a minor technical matter.
However, it is a major decision that will substantially reduce the validity
of the information that we have about Canada, its citizens, and the way
society is changing. This move, which will increase our ignorance about
ourselves, will have long-term political consequences: As society becomes
less informed, it will be easier for the government to manipulate it and
to use its authority to circulate specious arguments and ideological positions.
Source:
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Version française:
Pour la première fois en 35 ans,
le recensement canadien ne comptera pas de formulaire long. Le gouvernement
Harper a décidé de le remplacer par l'Enquête nationale
auprès des ménages dont la participation sera volontaire.
Aucune consultation n'a été menée avant de prendre
une telle décision. Les conséquences sont importantes et
les opposants à cette décision sont nombreux...
- plus de 150 liens vers des ressources
pertinentes, plusieures en français
Source:
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Selected media coverage:
Decision to axe long questionnaire likely to bias data : Fellegi
By Shannon Proudfoot
July 13, 2010
A former top official from Statistics Canada has
slammed the Conservative government's changes to the 2011 census, joining
a growing chorus of opposition to the move. The decision to axe the long
census questionnaire and distribute the questions through a voluntary survey
is "indefensible" and likely to result in "seriously biased"
data, says Ivan Fellegi, who was chief statistician at the agency until
his retirement in 2008.
(...)
Some groups such as aboriginals, new immigrants, those with low income or
education and the very wealthy are less likely to complete a voluntary survey,
he says, leaving gaping holes in the country's demographic portrait and
potentially warping the statistical results.
Source:
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July 14, 2010
By Dan Gardner
(...) Apparently, the long mandatory survey was scrapped because it offends
the staunch libertarian principles of the Harper government. Yes, the staunch
libertarian principles of the government. The Harper government. The government
that thinks marijuana decriminalization is a Marxist plot, an adult who
agrees to consensual sex in exchange for money should be imprisoned, the
police did a fine job at the G20 and Omar Khadr can rot in a tropical gulag.
But requiring citizens to fill out a form that is absolutely essential to
sound public policy and social science? An outrageous violation of individual
liberty.
Source:
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Yes, the census long form is intrusive,
but statistics empower Canadians
By William Robson
July. 13, 2010
Source:
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Globe editorial
July 11, 2010
There's no evidence of a broad public backlash against the long-form census,
and the imposition on Canadians is not unreasonable.
Source:
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More media coverage of this issue:
July 13
Critics say changes could result in
biased information:
Official Languages Commissioner reviewing
long form decision:
Discussion is deemed “off topic”
and “irrelevant”:
A cadre of morons:
July 9
[United Kingdom]
The Census, the official population count carried out by the Government,
is to be scrapped after more than 200 years, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
By Christopher Hope
09 Jul 2010
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said
the Census, which takes place every 10 years, was an expensive and inaccurate
way of measuring the number of people in Britain. Instead,
the Government is examining different and cheaper ways to count the population
more regularly, using existing public and private databases, including credit
reference agencies. It will represent a historic
shift in the way that information about the nation’s population, religion
and social habits is gathered. The suggestion is
likely to be approved by Cabinet next week.
Source:
(U.K.)
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From Jennefer Laidley:
July 8, 2010
You may have heard that the federal government is moving to eliminate the Canada census long form questionnaire and replace it with a voluntary survey. Your immediate action is required to help save this important source of information. Take action below, and forward this email to your friends and colleagues.
The long form was sent to 20% of households and is a critical source of information about diversity, employment, income, education and other characteristics of Canadians. It is essential to business, research, planning and good public policies and programs. Stakeholders ranging from the business community, to university researchers to social justice advocates are raising their voices to oppose this move.
You may choose to sign the petition AND join the Facebook group on this.
1) Sign the Petition:
The Keep the Canada Census Long Form
petition is at:
[NOTE: the plan was to send the petition on July 12 to Tony
Clement (Minister for Industry and Stats Can), the Prime Minister, the Chief
Statistician and opposition leaders. As at July 20 the petition is still
online, so you can sign if you haven't already...]
2) Join the Facebook Group:
Here is the weblink to the Facebook group
on this issue:
And here are some media links that talk about the importance of the Long Form:
Liberals condemn Conservative move on Census long form:
Why you should care:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/why-you-should-care-about-the-long-census-forms-demise/article1630413/
Because it’s “dumbing down” democracy:
Need more proof? Listen to Armine Yalnizyan:
Armine Yalnizyan also comments on the decision:
CAUT calls for reinstatement of the long-form:
Genealogy site calls decision “ludicrous”:
The Star says the decision is the wrong move:
Letter to editor:
An Open letter to the Honourable Tony Clement, Ministry of Industry and
Minister Responsible for Statistics Canada and
Munir Sheikh, Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada
by Armine Yalnizyan
July 2, 2010
(...) This latest decision [by the Harper government] scraps the Census
long-form questionnaire in favour of a one-time survey which makes responses
voluntary rather than mandatory. This move will weaken the quality and availability
of data that tells us what is happening to employment, immigration, housing,
incomes and education – the very issues that beg for the best policy
decisions possible as we inch our way through recovery. The Census long-form
questionnaire is a unique tool that affords decision-makers a rich set of
facts about Canadians, facts that are as reliable at the census tract or
neighbourhood level as the nation-wide level.
Source:
Thanks to Jennefer Laidley of the Income Security Advocacy
Centre (ISAC) for the many of the links in the above collection.
ISAC website:
Social Assistance Review website:
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By Dan Gardner
July 9, 2010
Admittedly, the census is not the sexiest topic,
but it is important. The data generated by the census are the foundation
of almost every public policy. Social science in this country would come
to a shuddering halt without those numbers. So would a great deal of business.
Anyone interested in reality -- and I hope that includes every politician
and citizen -- is indebted to Statistics Canada and its bean counters. (...)
Apparently, the long mandatory survey was scrapped
because it offends the staunch libertarian principles of the Harper government.
Yes, the staunch libertarian principles of the government.
The Harper government. The government that thinks marijuana decriminalization
is a Marxist plot, an adult who agrees to consensual sex in exchange for
money should be imprisoned, the police did a fine job at the G20, and Omar
Khadr can rot in a tropical gulag.
Source:
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July 7, 2010
The Liberals are demanding the federal government reverse
its decision to scrap the mandatory long census form, saying they will introduce
legislation to protect a mandatory long-form census if necessary. The
Conservative government announced last week that it is eliminating the mandatory
long census form for the 2011 census, replacing it with a voluntary national
household survey.
Source:
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