Some clarifications on the census
I would like once and for all to set things straight with regard to the many reports that have appeared recently in the media regarding my position on the census.
First of all, the CBC has obtained some internal correspondence through an access-to-information request saying that Industry Canada and Statistics Canada only received a few hundred emails of complaint related to the census in 2006. Some commentators have concluded that this was proof that I had been lying when I claimed to have received about a thousand a day for a couple of days.
But I had clearly indicated when I made this declaration back in July that these emails had been received at my MP office on the Hill and not at my minister’s office. It was a discussion with my MP office staff that had led us to recall receiving these emails. Contrary to the correspondence received by the ministry, which is kept by civil servants, the email correspondence at my MP office has all been deleted. This access-to-information request thus has nothing to do with what I had said.
What I told the CBC journalist however is that I cannot say for sure today, four years later, what proportion of those emails were complaints against the questions or the compulsory character of the census. Another campaign was going on at the same time by groups opposed to a contract that Statistics Canada had awarded to the American firm Lockheed Martin to manage some data. All these emails were identical but sent by different people.
Also, a Liberal MP, Bryon Wilfert, unveiled a letter from 2006 where I was responding to the concerns of one of his constituents regarding the information collected in the census, where I said that it was important and that the confidentiality of the data was rigorously protected.
Again, there is not much new in this “revelation”. I continue to believe the same thing. However, I also believe that the coercive nature of the census is unwarranted. I had been named Industry minister a few months earlier when I signed that letter and most of the decisions regarding the census had been taken by my predecessor. Since then, I have had time to reflect upon it and yes, I have changed my mind when it comes to the threat of a fine or jail time for those who refuse to fill it. This is why I am convinced that my government is doing the right thing.
This position is entirely consistent with everything I have been saying or writing for many years on the importance of individual freedom, a principle which motivates my whole involvement in politics.
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Sorry, but I don’t believe you.
I think you are simply toeing the party line on this one.
Tell your boss to simply drop the jail time and resume the census.
The fine is appropriate for non-compliance. We as citizens, have a civic duty to fulfill some tasks. This is one of them.
You folks are simply being obtuse.
Drop the jail time and resume the long form. It is the right compromise.
Show flexibility.
Just shows how ignorant people are. The long census has not been dropped so no compromise needed, it is just the jail time and fines that have been dropped. As a citizen I don’t believe it is a civic duty to answer intrusive questions such as how many bedrooms I have in my house?
Salut M. Bernier,
En effet, vous êtes cohérent avec vos idées. Dans tous les domaines, vous prenez position en fonction de vos valeurs et idées. Vous êtes en politique pour défendre vos idées et les intérêts des Beaucerons et de l’ensemble de la population québécoise. Continuez votre bon travail M. Bernier.
The long form census has not been cancelled or dropped,
it’s name has been changed to protect the innocent!
Seriously …it should go to 50% of households, questions should be more relevant.
Present it, as a voluntary patriotic duty to fill out.
No-one will be punished in any way for choosing NOT to.!
This is so easy…………..It goes like this……Census Canada is sending out the new Census form in the next few months. There are two versions: a long form and a short form. For those of you preferring the long form, send back the request (enclosed) with your signature before date ?????….. Or do nothing and you will automatically receive the short form.
Right now there seems to be enough Libs, NDP and Bloc that would prefer the long form.
Let’s see how long that lasts.
Sir, a bit of clarification. You actually got a thousand emails a day pertaining to corporations data-mining Canadian citizens’ personal information. They don’t like it because this information gathering is for the purposes of turning people solely into consumers at the bequest of predatory capitalism. It seems people don’t mind it so much when information is used to enable you to govern more effectively. Sorry if there was any confusion.
The information is not used to govern more effectively. The information is used to build the welfare state at every opportunity. The struggle between the socialists and the capitalists manifests in this census battle. Freedom of speech vs Marxist bureaucracy requiring the ‘ward’ to proffer information on demand or else.
“Ce que j’ai toutefois déclaré à une journaliste de CBC, c’est que je ne peux pas affirmer aujourd’hui, quatre ans plus tard, quelle était la proportion de ces courriels qui concernait des plaintes envers les questions ou le caractère obligatoire du formulaire long.”
Dans le doute, on s’abstient M. Bernier. C’est la base même de l’honnêteté intellectuelle. Décidément, il semble que c’est une ligne de parti sortir des chiffres flous sans même se donner les moyen de les préciser…
Quel débat inutile. Attaquez-vous donc à de vrais problèmes qui touchent directement vos électeurs au lieu du questionnaire long du recensement.
Unsurprising that census mouth-breathers would jump to conclusions before they knew all the facts. The only questions I have to ask are, why isn’t the long form census-Hell, the whole census!-just being scrapped? Well, aside from political difficulties.
I like that you are motivated to protect and enhance individual freedom — please apply this principle liberally!
D’où l’on voit qu’une idée bien définie s’énoonce clairement. Ce qui n’est visiblement pas le cas pour ce qui concerne le recensement, et pour bien d’autres politiques défendues piètrement par le gouvernement actuel parceque relevant d’une approche purement idéologique sans fondements réels.
Les québécois sont contre cet abandon de la fiabilité du recensement long. Vous ne représentez pas la population du Québec, monsieur Bernier!
The ‘long form’ is still there but what was taken from it is the ‘mandatory jail time’
The coalition parties (ndp, lib, bloc) want the ‘mandatory fines to remain).
But what is confusing the public is the msm, they are the ‘MAJOR’ PROBLEM we have in this country. These people will lied manipulate the innocent public into ‘fear’ into doing as they are told.
Maxime, do not TRUST the likes of CBC CTV or any national media. Go places where you know the media has a field day ‘manipulating’ the public. Do not expect nor rely on the msm to help you conservatives because it is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. PERIOD.
@ Joël Paquin :
“Quebecers showed the strongest support for abolishing the long-form census in 2011, with 62 per cent saying the move is “good,” the poll suggested.”
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/consensus+census+debate+Poll/3302580/story.html#ixzz12ETqxkTu
@Sebas: your data is old
Since July, many polls have shown the opposite in this, in Québec and in Canada.
When you explain clearly and simply what the consequences are (and not with PC monkey facts), people understand and realise the need for it.
http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/294820/recensement-forte-grogne-au-quebec
“Pas moins de 60 % des Québécois sont contre, alors que 20 % approuvent et que 20 % ne savent pas quoi répondre ou refusent de le faire.”
So Mr Bernier is going against the wish of Québec in this! Shame!
And FYI, it’s the same thing in the ROC:
“Un sondage pancanadien mené par la firme Angus Reid (…) Près de 54 % des répondants demandent au gouvernement de revenir sur sa décision, alors que 31 % des gens souhaitent que le gouvernement garde le cap.”
All over Canada, not just in Québec, there are 00′s of organisations, associations, newspaper, governemental department, universities, religious orders, companies, provinces (of which Ontario and Québec), etc. that asked the government to change its mind.
Doesn’t the PC feels alone in this?
Like we say in French, “il y a juste les fous qui ne changent pas d’idée” ! (only fools never change their mind)
@ Joel: only people who are really in favor of the stupid long form ie special interests respond to these surveys, because they are the only ones interested. I couldn’t care less about these stupid polls; the right thing was done regardless of the silliness of the majority.
Max did change his mind on this issue. You’re the only fool here.
Information is a valuable commodity. Those with more, wield more power. So, why in the name of all that is holy would more power be vested with government, which has too much power to begin with?
Je ne comprend pas vraiment pas le scandale qui perdure face à ce recensement… Au lieu de l’envoyer à 20% (je peux me tromper sur le chiffre) des gens en les obligeant à le remplir et où on a donc un risque d’avoir du n’importe quoi comme réponse en signe de contestation, on l’envoie à 35% (je peux encore me tromper sur le chiffre) des gens en laissant le tout volontaire et où nous aurons des réponses honnêtes et fiables des gens qui le remplissent de plein gré.
Où est le problème? Personnellement, en étant obligé de le remplir, j’aurais répondu absolument n’importe quoi pour me débarrasser, car j’ai des choses plus importante à faire de mon temps. Par contre, ceux qui décideront volontairement de prendre le temps nécessaire répondrons, j’imagine, la vérité.
Petite question à vous les défenseurs du questionnaire long obligatoire. Vous accepteriez vraiment d’aller en prison pour ne pas avoir dit au gouvernement combien vous avez de chambre à coucher à la maison ????? Déménagez à Cuba…
After listening to the debate, I have never been convinced as to why this should be a priority for the government nor have I been convinced that we are better off with a census that is not mandatory. Now you cannot even present the evidence to back up your statement that you received thousands of complaints. This lack of reasoning leaves me to the only explanation that makes any sense: special interests working behind the scenes of our government to fulfill their own agenda, not the agenda of the people.
Am I right or wrong, who knows. It is the impression that counts, and that is what I will bring with me into the booth
Ce qui est incohérent, c’est que vous prétendiez être le député qui a reçu des milliers de courriels alors que vous suivre sur votre blogue, ce qui est nettement plus facile, permet de constater que seules 926 personnes ont daigné enregistrer un commentaire à propos de votre position sur l’amphithéâtre de Québec, un sujet vraiment brulant.
Il y a un écart important entre les centaines de courriels reçus au ministère et les milliers que vous avez prétendu avoir reçus à votre bureau à Ottawa et il y a un écart entre ce que vous prétendez et ce qu’ont prétendu les autre députés.
La logique joue contre vous, mais peut-être est-ce vrai, dans ce cas, apportez-nous ces courriels, maintenant pourquoi ont-ils été effacés? Comment se fait-il que le travail d’un député ne soit pas archivé? Si vous n’êtes pas capable de supporter des commentaires contraires à la raison par des faits concrets, vous feriez mieux de vous abstenir, mais si en plus, vous nous montrez que nous avons des raisons de nous inquiéter de l’éthique de nos députés, c’est encore plus grave.
Qu’est-ce donc qui peut commander que vous effaciez vos courriels? J’ai peur de le savoir.