Census long form: Tory government is making a mistake

I created this graph from StatsCan data. This data is crucial for developing policy, for business and municipal, provincial and federal governments in understanding the needs, and the shape of municipalities, provincial and federal citizens. It shapes research and practices. It helps those ensure that our transportation needs, as well as language, mobility, ethnicity, labour, income, housing, health, sociological, immigrant, and educational needs are being met.

How sad when politicians interfere with things of which they have little knowledge.

"Last week, Minister of Industry Tony Clement was given the task of defending the government’s decision to eliminate the mandatory long-form version of the census and move those questions to an optional survey. According to Clement, the long census—which asks questions about respondents’ ethnicity, education and income—is 'heavy-handed' and intrusive. Clement mounted his libertarian high horse: 'You try to limit the amount of state coercion that you have, you try to limit the intrusiveness of government activities, and that’s the balance that we’ve struck,' he said." *

This goes to the depth and the heart of those who prepare for changing demographics and ensuring that our needs are met as citizens. Now, I am no statistician, but I do know that many depend upon this data for accuracy and information. It is those most unable to stand up for themselves whose lives are protected by ensuring that there is infrastructure for them.You and I can buy services, those without cannot. White, middle-class people would be over-represented in data. Those with learning and physical disabilities would not.

References

*Sometimes a gaffe is more than a gaffe

POTTER: The comedy of Clement failing basic economics aside, it’s scary that he doesn’t understand his file

by Andrew Potter on Friday, July 16, 201

Census of Canada

 Census data ... The census provides a statistical portrait of Canada and its people.

Proposed Changes On How Canada Collects Census Data Not In The Public Interest

The long form is the basis for collecting data on language, immigration, Aboriginal peoples, mobility, ethnicity, education, labour, income and housing.