do something really boring today

I’m aware that this is a really boring blog post.

I just wrote an email to Canadian Minister of Industry Tony Clement.

He’s said he’s making changes to the census (getting rid of the mandatory long form) that experts (economists, statisticians, business leaders – you name it) say will have disastrous effects on our ability to collect and compare information on Canadians. Heck, even I know this is a dumb change. And I’ve never taken a stats class in my life.

Clement defends the decision on the basis of protecting Canadians against intrusions on their privacy. But the Toronto Star says there have been something like 2 complaints lodged against Stats Canada, and that they’ve “never violated anyone’s privacy, ever.”

So what gives?

Censuses are one of those completely critical, totally unsexy responsibilities of modern government. Think making sure the garbage gets collected or that roads are planned to minimize congestion; they’re just things government needs to do, or life is worse for everybody. Britain’s been doing a modern census since 1801. This is not rocket science, Tony.Let’s get it right.

The census gives us critical information that businesses and governments use to respond to our wants and needs. They help hospitals and schools design services to meet the needs of the people they serve. They help academics, historians and ordinary citizens better understand their communities and their country as a whole. They help us understand how we’re progressing, as a society.

This is possibly the geekiest, most boring thing you’ll do all day. But maybe the most important.

Sign the online petition to ask the government to reverse the census decision, then email Industry Minister Tony Clement at: minister.industry@ic.gc.ca

Then email 3 friends and ask them to do the same. (If you’re feeling lazy or aren’t sure what to write, you can copy any text you want from this blog post, or use the sample email below as a guide.)

Good luck!

Kimberly

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Dear Minister Clement,

I have read about your decision to eliminate the mandatory long form Canada census questionnaire. I think you’ve made an unwise decision, and I’d like to ask you to reverse it. Over 60 major national organizations have already asked you to do so.

I don’t belong to any of those organizations – I’m just an ordinary Canadian who cares about having a census that tells us the truth about our country. It’s important that this data is correct – and I do not agree at all that the census long form is an intrusion on privacy. Reputable news organizations are saying that there were only two complaints about the last census – in a nation of 34 million people (all of who benefit from the census!), so i think your argument about Canadians feeling that this is an intrusion on their privacy holds little water.

Please reverse your decision.

Sincerely,

<Your Name>