Census Consequences

If you follow federal politics, you would know that the issue of a voluntary long-form census is huge. It's so big that the Conservatives are defending it in the summer, when they are supposed to be off having barbecues with their constituents and spreading the grace of Harper.

In true Conservative fashion, on a quiet, twiddle-your-thumbs Friday afternoon in Ottawa, the government announced that for the 2011 census it will be optional to do a long-form version of it. It fulfills another step the Conservatives wish to achieve: making government as small as possible to the point where it's unworkable, and nearly anarchy. They feel that a long-form census barges in on an individual's basic rights of privacy.

Up to this point the issue was purely political: conservatives bashing heads with socialists. Left-wingers not agreeing with right-wingers is about as common as the sun rising in the east tomorrow. Shortly after this though, the head of Stats Canada resigned, saying that a long-form census wouldn't work for NGO's (non-governmental organizations) to collect accurate information. He's right to think so, if only extroverts reveal information about themselves, it doesn't exactly paint an accurate picture of our nation.

This move is another small step in Mr. Harper's quest to create a truly conservative Canada. It appears that the opposition is united to fight this move, which is nice to see after months of the Liberals voting with the Conservatives on numerous fiscal and social policies. They are right to be opposed: voluntary cannot replace mandatory. This information isn't being used to track you down like GPS, but rather this data can help us deliver more effective health care treatment, education on a provincial scale, and other social services.

It's examples like this that prove why we need to ensure that Harper doesn't get the coveted majority he has envied for since entering the political stadium.