Bit by bit, the Harper "Cons" continue to con the Canadian public by slyly dismantling or reducing to minimal, the core practices of our essential, traditional statutes. The long form of the Statistics Canada census is just another casualty in the increasingly lengthy list.
I wonder how many complaints Tony Clement and his sheepish members of Parliament received regarding intrusiveness of the long form. And from what specific groups or persons?
In today's highly digitalized world where we can Google the exact location where you and I live, and where there is virtually nothing that the government or its agents cannot find out about every one of us, does it make any sense Clement feigning intrusiveness of the long form census? What a paradox.
Moreover, if I recall correctly, the data that StatsCan collects and analyzes on the long form is used collectively and anonymously to compile statistical trends on all aspects of the entire Canadian population. Would any of the G20 countries make such a fundamental, catastrophic change to the collection of vital statistics of their countries’ populations?
Lastly, the annual income tax form is much more intrusive — one of the sacred secrets of Canadians is how much money they earn — than the long form of the census. If the Harper “cons" can get away with this one, will complainants soon lobby them to get rid of the income tax forms? And what excuse will the "Cons" have for maintaining the intrusiveness of the tax forms?
Glenn Harewood, PhD, Brampton, Ont.
