This and that for your Thursday reading.- Barbara Yaffe points out that the Council on Hemispheric Affairs seems to have a much better idea what Canada needs out of a fighter jet than the government that’s trying to push ahead with a multi-billion doll…
Continue readingTag: census
Peace, order and good government, eh?: Mostly competent government
It’s been almost exactly a year since then Industry Minister Tony Clement announced that the census long form would no longer be mandatory. Among the lies he told us at the time was that the government would work hard to ensure that the new, voluntary household survey would be a suitable replacement. So how’s that working out? Census workers are settling for incomplete long questionnaires in the final push of the summer collection period, raising concerns the data will be even more compromised than originally feared. … Former Industry Minister Tony Clement urged Canadians to fill out the forms anyway, but the government is doing less to ensure they are returned and fully filled out. As you review the recent press releases masquerading as journalism that report on how Clement intends to pursue his new mission to balance the government’s books, you might want to bear in mind that our new Treasury Board president’s credibility has been hopelessly compromised. Just because newspaper editors across the nation may have forgotten that doesn’t mean that you should….
Continue readingOn trashing the long form census—Stats Can on my tail
Shortly before the Canada Post lockout, Statistics Canada mailed me a copy of the 2011 National Household Survey, formerly known as the long form census, to dutifully fill out. I promptly trashed it.But Stats Can was not finished with me. Yesterday, wi…
Continue readingAn Unsurprising Correlation
Check this out:Newfoundland & Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale, in a speech to the St. John’s Board of Trade, Febraury 23, 2011 (emphasis added):”Our province has never been in a stronger position.GDP growth for 2010 is estimated at 5.4 per cent, …
Continue readinggay persons of color: Nepal census records third gender
In what is being hailed as a world first, the Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal has given official recognition to its third gender or Meti citizens. This means that in the country of over 29 million, transgender human beings have been counted and d…
Continue readingPample the Moose: Election 2011: Thoughts on "Truthiness" and Evidence-Based Policy
Just a quick post today to link to a blogpost I was invited to contribute to canada.com’s Decision Canada election website. In it, I reflect on recent Conservative changes to programs such as the long-form census and the court challenges program which…
Continue readingPop The Stack: A nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat
Another day, another justification for dropping the mandatory long-form census by the Conservative government. Today’s argument comes from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty; he basically argues that because a bunch of policy wonks came voluntarily to a meeting when invited by the Federal Finance Minister that most Canadians will fill out a 40 page census form if they […]
The Roundhouse: ‘Fixing’ what isn’t Broken: Tampering with the Census
I have been startled this last few weeks to witness the extent to which a seemingly esoteric subject, the census, has become a political and conversational issue during the dog days of summer. Here in Calgary I have had a series of conversations about this topic, and so far all
Continue readingThe Roundhouse: ‘Fixing’ what isn’t Broken: Tampering with the Census
I have been startled this last few weeks to witness the extent to which a seemingly esoteric subject, the census, has become a political and conversational issue during the dog days of summer. Here in Calgary I have had a series of conversations about this topic, and so far all
Continue readingThe Roundhouse: ‘Fixing’ what isn’t Broken: Tampering with the Census
I have been startled this last few weeks to witness the extent to which a seemingly esoteric subject, the census, has become a political and conversational issue during the dog days of summer. Here in Calgary I have had a series of conversations about …
Continue readingStephen Harper Introduces an Inconsistency to the Conservative Message
August 3rd, 2010: Despite Stats Can data showing that crime is on the decrease in Canada, Treasury Board President Stockwell Day announces that the Conservative Government of Canada will go ahead with its plan to build new prisons.
August 4th, 2010: J…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Beware the Power of the Dark Side
Sometimes, when I see the crazy places some people want to take our country or other countries I wonder to myself, are they serious? Do they really believe that government is a sham, that it would truly be better for everyone if we paid no taxes and just lived off our own initiative and money? […]
Pop The Stack: Stockwell Gets Tough on Imaginary Crime
Oh Stockwell, you never let us down do you? Whenever we doubt for a moment that the Conservative government makes all its decisions based on gut instinct, emotion and irrational fear you’re there to remind of the true Reform-Alliance-Conservative way of thinking, like protecting Canadians from the “alarming” amount of unreported crime. You have to […]
A. Picazo: Lies, Damned Lies, And The Census
“(The Unites States), and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world.” – Stephen Harper, 1997 In an astonishing display of incompetence, and a complete disregard for the facts, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is forging ahead with plans to
Continue readingPop The Stack: Disturbing Censusgate News
Two disturbing articles on the census today: The first collects together a few comments from people who know Harper and his people well about how they hope to use prolonged presence in government to change the public ethic, the culture of Canada towards a Libertarian philosophy. I don’t think this is always as conscious as […]
Pop The Stack: No, wait, I got a dumber one!
I am endlessly surprised by the creativity the Conservative government is putting into explaining why their irrational, scientifically unsound decision to scrap the mandatory long form census is really A-OK. This one comes from none other than Minister Doris Day himself: “All we’re saying is, people shouldn’t be threatened with jail because they don’t want […]
Sheikh’s resignation removed from Stats Can site
Yesterday I posted Munir A. Sheikh resignation letter from Statistics Canada, warning that t was likely to be removed.
24 hours later, it’s gone. In its place is this:
Media advisory: 2011 Census
July 16, 2010
OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is not in…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Censusgate Continues
Two comments on the ongoing censusgate saga: The Chief Statistician has resigned his position in light of the dispute: Fantastic, good for him. He should have done it sooner but it seems last night’s ‘clarifying’ interview with Minister Clement pushed him over the edge. The Minister pointed out that some people at StatsCan believe the […]
Stats Can head resigns over census
Clearly, Harper and Clement were imposing a political decision on the internationally renown Statistic Canada. Munir A. Sheikh stood up, and with honour, did the right thing.
If only we saw more such honour within, oh, let’s say, the PCO.
Before it v…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Guessing About the Silent Majority
Just a quick note on the continuing CensusGate. Some questions over Minister Clement’s honesty and very fun sarcastic response to recent contortions to explain their ‘reasoning’ to drop the census. It has been pointed out that the US actually experimented on a small scale with a voluntary census and abandoned the plan as it would […]