Census Update....

Since writing the original posting on Monday a lot has happened with the census and the federal Governments refusal to reverse the short sighted decision to drop it as a mandatory item and make it voluntary next year.
The out cry has been loud, multi-governmental, and across the whole spectrum of groups, both research and NGO's.
The resolution was carried unanimously at Halton Hills Council and was seconded by Jane Fogal and later in the evening by Milton Council . Jane spoke passionately about the need for the feds to listen to what everyone is saying.
On Wednesday the Head of StatsCan stepped down over the governments refusal to listen. it is not too often you will see the head of a major governmental department step down over a policy issue like this.
Front and centre has been Minister Tony Clement reminding us of what we saw 15 years ago with the government of Mike Harris. The refusal of a government to listen to its most important person, its citizens.
Lets hope that this is not the start of more policy changes that the general public does not want but are part of a agenda we do not know yet.
Here is a partial list of groups or organisations opposed.

Atlantic Provinces Economics Council; Caledon Institute of Social Policy
Canada Census Committee Canada West Foundation Canadian Association for Business Economics;
Canadian Association of University Teachers; Canadian Council for Policy Alternatives, Canadian Council of Social Development;
Canadian Economics Association; Canadian Evaluation Society
Canadian Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities,
Canadian Institute of Planners, Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Labour Congress Canadian Marketing Association
Canadian Medical Association Journal Canadian Nurses Association
Canadian Public Health Association Canadian Research Data Network Centre
C.D. Howe Institute Centre for the Study of Living Standards
City of Calgary City of Edmonton, City of Red Deer, City of Toronto; Region of Halton, Town of Halton Hills, Town of Milton, Conference Board of Canada
Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada Environics Analytics
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
Federation of Canadian Municipalities; Glendon School of International and Public Policy Information and Communications Technology Council ;
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Institute for Research on Public Policy
Medical Health Officers Council of Saskatchewan Nanos Research
National Specialty Society for Community Medicine
National Statistical Council ( acts in a consultative capacity for StatsCan).
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Province of Manitoba Province of PEI Province of Quebec
Quebec Conference of University Rectors and Principals
Regional Municipality of Peel
Rotman School of Management
Social Planning Council of Sudbury
Statistical Institute of Quebec
Toronto Association of Business Economists,
Toronto Board of Trade Toronto Public Health
Toronto-Dominion Bank (per its chief economist)
United Way of Canada United Way of Greater Toronto,
University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance