FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2010
Broad coalition calls on government to reverse census decision
Representatives from business and finance, health and social services and other levels of government say the long form is vital to the country's health and wellbeing
TORONTO—A surprising coalition of diverse voices came together today and called on the federal government to maintain the long form census. The group was comprised of representatives from a number of organizations — from Canadian banks to community-based organizations — as well as policy think tanks and other concerned groups.
Don Drummond, former Chief Economist of TD Bank, urged the government to keep the long form database, which is essential to ensuring decisions made by policy makers, businesses and all levels of government are well-informed and based on evidence.
"This is a key tool for tracking how Canadians are doing over time," Drummond said.
"Scrapping the long form means we will no longer have a reliable picture of the makeup of our country — and will waste years of data tracking important trends related to the health and wellbeing of Canadians."
Today's call follows an announcement that the government will eliminate the long form census in 2011, which contains comprehensive information about Canadians like education level, income, employment, ethnicity and language.
"We simply could not plan vital public health services — like our H1N1 response strategy — without understanding our city at a neighbourhood level," said Carol Timmings, the Director of Planning and Policy at Toronto Public Health.
The significance of having reliable census data at a local level was echoed by Gillian Mason, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Community Partnerships at United Way Toronto. "Information obtained from the long form census is imperative to United Way's work in the community," Mason said. "Without this detailed information we will not be able to adequately identify and respond to the needs of our community."
Mel Cappe with the Institute for Research on Public Policy called on the government to reconsider its position in the interest of sound public policy, saying the decision will make Canada a poorer country — unable to understand who we are, what our problems are and what policies are necessary to make Canada a better place.
"This government has demonstrated a willingness to listen and change their mind when it's in the best interests of the country," Cappe said. "I urge the government to reconsider — there is so much at stake."
Media contacts:
Joanna King, United Way Toronto
Desk - 416 777 1444 ex 386
Cell — 416-557-8505
jking@uwgt.org
Kerri-Anne Finn, CCPA
Desk - 613-563-1341 x306
Watch video of the four speakers presenting at the press conference: Don Drummond, former Chief Economist, TD Bank; Carol Timmings, Toronto Public Health ; Gillian Mason, United Way Toronto; and Mel Cappe, Institute for Research on Public Policy.
