Globe and Mail: Maxime Bernier defended census as ‘essential’ in 2006

[tuvor]

(This just keeps getting better and better!)

Michael Ignatieff’s team has produced a letter from 2006 in which then-industry minister Maxime Bernier provides a strong defence of the mandatory long-form census. And the Liberals are hailing it as proof the government’s decision to scrap the form is based on ideology alone.

Ontario Liberal MP Bryon Wilfert received the letter from Mr. Bernier in August, 2006. It was in reply to letters Mr. Wilfert had sent from constituents, who were concerned about the length and detail of the 2006 census.

“Although I understand the concerns of your constituents about supplying what they view as personal information, I can assure you that all of the information collected by the census is needed and is used only for statistical purposes,” Mr. Bernier says.

He goes on to explain that the questions are “essential for providing the information needed by governments, businesses, researchers and individual Canadians to shed light on issues of concern to all of us – employment, education, training, transportation, housing, immigration, income support, pensions for seniors, transfer payments, aboriginal issues and many more.”

...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/maxime-bernier-defended-census-as-essential-in-2006/article1747621/

[Spazito]

1. LOL, gotta love it...

I can't wait for his backtracking on this one to go along with his backtracking on his "receiving 1000 complaints a day" lie.

[daleo]

2. Bernier is just parroting the party line now

How about a free vote on this one?

[CHIMO]

3. Already Done

Census reinstatement motion passes


The House of Commons has adopted a Liberal motion calling for the Conservative government to reinstate the mandatory long-form census, a largely symbolic move the Conservatives are expected to ignore.

The motion, which passed 152-141 in a Wednesday evening vote in the Commons, also calls for the Statistics Act to be amended to remove the threat of jail time for those who refuse to fill out mandatory surveys.

The vote comes after Ontario and Quebec lodged formal complaints about the change, which has been condemned by numerous statisticians, policy, language and religious groups as well as several municipalities.

The Conservatives have insisted the move to a voluntary survey is a "balanced" approach that takes into account the concerns of Canadians who feel uncomfortable being forced to give personal information to representatives of the state.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/09/29/ignatieff-coalition-finley-ei.html
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | 6:43 PM ET

Cons don't know what a free vote is.