For the last couple of months, there has been growing debate, public controversy and numerous news reports over the mandatory long-form census and the federal Conservative government’s efforts to scrap the census and make it shorter and voluntary.
During a news conference in Ottawa, Liberal MP, Bob Rae, spoke out against Industry Minister Tony Clement for his claims that Statistics Canada recommended ending the long-form census because e-mails between Clement and StatsCan show the opposite, according to
CBC News.
Instead, Clement, says Rae, is attempting to “pass the blame.” “He wasn't telling the truth. Mr. Clement knew that in fact the method was not statistically valid. We know perfectly well that now that StatsCan said exactly the opposite.”
Government documents that were released on Tuesday show that Statistics Canada advised that a voluntary survey would not provide the same useful information as the mandatory one does.
The
Toronto Star reports that Rae is advising that the government’s solution is to continue the mandatory census but drop the imprisonment threat for failing to conduct the census.
