Census Debate Points to Ideological Divide
by Jack Layton
Former Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada.
- First Posted: Aug 05 2010 00:08 AM
- Updated: about 1 year ago
No statistical gathering would allow the Conservatives to make bold decisions based solely on ideology.
For more on the census, read:
The Mark's most popular piece this month: Paul Saurette on why the Conservative party is pursuing what at first glance looks like poor policy.
Alex Himelfarb's essay that Munir Sheikh himself read from when appearing before the House of Commons industry committee.
Linda Keen on what it's like to be a civil servant on the government's bad side.
The Conservative government has remained steadfast in abandoning the mandatory long-form census, despite public appeals from politicians, academics, and organizations. Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party, joined The Mark to discuss the deeper implications of the census debate, and what it's really all about. He thinks that by abandoning the long-form, Stephen Harper and his colleagues are trying to develop policy based on ideology, in an environment where statistics are unable to challenge policy. In the second video, Layton discusses why he thinks a compromise on the long-form census is possible.
Also listen to The Mark Radio episode "Making Sense of the Census", featuring interviews with Paul Saurette, Ivan Fellegi, Warren Kinsella, and Linda Keen.
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