We want Statistics Canada to be an agency independent of politics.
DID YOU KNOW?
That replacing the compulsory long form with a voluntary one not only costs more but also renders much of the information statistically invalid and not comparable with earlier data.
That the long census form is used by every facet of society from business to social service, school and city planners. Making completion voluntary may give rise to considerable economic and social costs, including the loss of valuable data for all planning purposes.
That the head of Statistics Canada, Munir Sheikh, has resigned in protest over the government’s decision to eliminate the compulsory long form. He is part of a growing list of public servants who, by virtue of their roles, must be committed to "non partisanship" or suffer the wrath of the Prime Minister for speaking out (i.e. fired or not rehired.) The list includes Linda Keen, Nuclear Regulator; Paul Kennedy, RCMP Public Complaints Chief; Douglas Tipple from Public Works; RCMP Superintendent Marty Cheliak; Paul Tinsley, Chair Military Police Complaints Commission and Richard Colvin, Senior Diplomat in Afghanistan.
That the Privacy Commissioner has only received a few complaints over the last ten years about the long form.
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