Widespread condemnation of axed census continues

[FiveParadox]

Widespread condemnation continues with respect to the decision of Her Majesty’s Government to terminate the long-form census, and to transition to a “National Household Survey.” The Government, under The Right Honourable Stephen Harper P.C., M.P. (Calgary Southwest), Prime Minister, ordered the abolition of the long-form census in 2011, citing the need to defend Canadians from being imprisoned for refusing to hand over census details (which has never actually happened).

I think it’s much more likely, personally, that the Government sought to end the long-form census, because Statistics Canada (and researchers, statistics, science, and numbers) are enemies of the Conservative Party of Canada. We can’t have that pesky public service making recommendations or supporting policy development in a way that incorporates facts and research, now can we?

The Treasury Board (the personnel and operations decision-making committee of the Government) ordered a survey of data users, and has now learned that despite the release of 200,000 data sets through the data.gc.ca website, the absence of long-form census data has been a persistent and consistent complaint. The Auditor General of Canada has also found that the National Household Survey has yielded far less information than the previous long-form census.

The less-comprehensive National Household Survey cost $22 million more to administer.

The Conservatives really screwed this one up.

“There shall be no statistics! No research!”

Source: Long-form census internal survey blasts feds for missing database (CBC)

 

[BornRuff]

If a government actually believes in what they are doing, they should have no fear of people actually being able to measure the effects of what they are doing.

If they are actively trying to limit this........

 

[Liberalman]

When the Liberals take back the federal Canadian government a lot of Conservative laws will fall and the long form will be back

 

[taxslave]

When the Liberals take back the federal Canadian government a lot of Conservative laws will fall and the long form will be back

Fortunately for taxpayers and freedom in general this is. Still many decades into the future.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Really I hadn't heard a word.

 

[damngrumpy]

The census will always be around its been that way for centuries.
As for the Liberals coming back I may not be happy but it is true
they will be back and the Tories could be in bigger trouble than the
NDP. If they are caught in a surge to remove them thing could be
very bad. People are restless they want a different government.
The current bunch have done enough damage to the social system
and its time to regroup and become progressive again

 

[Tonington]

Fortunately for taxpayers and freedom in general this is. Still many decades into the future.

Fortunately for tax payers? The new voluntary household survey costs $22 million more than the long-form census that was axed, and produces lower quality data. One in four geographic areas in the census do not have high enough quality data to be useful.

So we pay more, and get less. That is not fortunate for tax payers, it's the opposite. But hey, at least the government is tracking on Facebook who has positive and negative opinions of government policies. That couldn't possibly be abused now could it?

:roll:

 

[BornRuff]

Really I hadn't heard a word.

If you are involved in any field that does any sort of research work, you would be hearing a lot about this.

It is such a monumental hit to the data that we once had on what was going on in our country.

When the Liberals take back the federal Canadian government a lot of Conservative laws will fall and the long form will be back

The problem is that we will never get the data back from this missing period, and by making it into a political issue, they are definitely going to skew how some people answer if it is ever brought back. If it is brought back, it will take many years before we have enough data to start being able to use the long form census like we used to be able to use it.

But hey, at least the government is tracking on Facebook who has positive and negative opinions of government policies. That couldn't possibly be abused now could it?

Oh, don't worry, the government will know whatever the government wants to know. Just leave it up to them and don't question it.