Senate Question on the Census - Awesomeness!

[Tracey P. Lauriault]

It is still astonishing that university & college presidents have not taken a stance on this in Canada.  Especially since it will be universities which will have to foot the bill.  The DLI will not include data coming from non uniform, unstandardized and only densely populated areas on specific topics from the private sector.  It is bad enough that we have to purchase data from our own government, now we get to purchase lower quality data from the private sector!  Up goes tuition I guess!

http://liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/12523_2011-Census

http://www.parl.gc.ca/40/3/parlbus/chambus/senate/deb-e/077db_2010-12-13-E.htm?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=3#29

Industry

2011 Census

Hon. Claudette Tardif (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): We learned recently that university researchers will have to rely more on the private sector to obtain the data they need, because of the Conservative government's decision to make the long-form census voluntary. A number of researchers will have to use their federal grant money to obtain data from private businesses, which adds not only to the financial burden on colleges and universities, but also to the support that the federal government will have to provide.

Research budgets at post-secondary institutions are small enough as it is. Could the leader tell us whether her government will increase subsidies to federal grant agencies when Canadian colleges and universities can no longer support the financial burden to purchase data, a responsibility that falls under her jurisdiction?

[English]

Hon. Marjory LeBreton (Leader of the Government): Honourable senators, the government has increased funding to a wide variety of areas for post-secondary education.

With regard to the census, I point out yet again that the decision of the government is final. We will have a short-form mandatory census, and we will have a voluntary household survey that will cover more people and have the same questions. We expect the response will be remarkable and that the information gleaned from that long-form household survey, which contains the same number of questions asked in the mandatory long-form census but with a wider distribution, will provide all the information required for the various organizations that are required to use it.

[Translation]

Senator Tardif: Honourable senators, many researchers have expressed their serious concerns about the government's decision to make the long-form census voluntary. Ellen Goddard, a professor of rural economics at the University of Alberta, even believes that some researchers will never receive funding and that they will have to spend more time applying for additional grants, rather than focusing on research.

University research is a vital engine of the Canadian economy. How does the government plan to ensure funding for university researchers who will have to spend more time and money collecting data given that the 2011 Census data will be of no use to them?

[English]

Senator LeBreton: To set the record straight, we have increased funding of three granting councils by an average of 20 per cent since 2005-06. We have also created new programs, such as the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Canada is ranked number one in the G7 for supporting basic, discovery-oriented university research. Our science and technology strategy, which was launched in 2007, helps create jobs, improve quality of life for Canadians and build a stronger economy for future generations.

I remind the honourable senator that the record of the former Liberal government was to cut funding for science and technology by $442 million in the mid-1990s. Therefore, we do not take a backseat to anyone with regard to support for our universities and research and development.

Senator Tardif: The Leader of the Government in the Senate has avoided the question and has not provided a suitable answer.

Let us sidestep here and speak about another complaint this time from Aboriginal organizations and chiefs from Atlantic Canada. Their complaint is that questions about ethnicity and ancestry were changed in the 2011 long-form questionnaire. The new National Household Survey uses the term "First Nations" when asking whether a person is Aboriginal. Is that person an Aboriginal person; that is, First Nations, North American Indian, Metis or Inuit?

The complainants balk at the use of the term "First Nations," viewing it as an attempt to lower the number of respondents who identify as Aboriginals by suddenly excluding those who live off of the reserve. Is that the intent of the leader's government?

Senator LeBreton: First, the honourable senator has raised the issue with regard to First Nations people in Atlantic Canada, and as she has pointed out, it is before the courts and I, of course, cannot respond.

[Translation]

[The Munroes]

Regarding the statement by Marjory LeBreton ...

 

"With regard to the census, I point out yet again that the decision of the government is final."

 

Hopefully, in the near future a comment would read....

 

With regard to the census, the final decision of the minority ruling party, was one of the reasons Harper's Conservatives were voted out of government.

 

Indeed,  some people who voted for Harper's Conservatives are advocating voting out Harper's Conservatives and voting in reasonable representatives.

 

Please recall Munir Sheikh suggested ....

"send the long-form questions for printing as scheduled. If the decision is reversed in the weeks following debate and analysis, one could simply put the short form and the long form in one envelope for the 20-per-cent sample with a letter from the chief statistician highlighting the mandatory nature of both, at the time the census process begins. If the voluntary survey decision stands after a careful rethink, a letter from the chief statistician could simply confirm the voluntary nature of the long form, sent separately from the short forms as currently planned."

 

May I suggest, perhaps one option could be simply put the short form and the long form in one envelope for the 20-per-cent sample with a letter from the chief statistician highlighting the mandatory nature of the short form, but the voluntary nature of the long form, or portions thereof, as well as an explanation of the uses and benefits of the long form.

 

Please continue to raise concerns about reliable information and advocate keeping the long form as part of the census.

 

Warren Munroe

 

 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tracey P. Lauriault" <[hidden email]>
Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 8:04 am
Subject: [CivicAccess-discuss] Senate Question on the Census - Awesomeness!
To: civicaccess discuss <[hidden email]>, Canadian Association of Public Data Users <[hidden email]>, CAGLIST <[hidden email]>, CCA List <[hidden email]>

> It is still astonishing that *university & college presidents*
> have not
> taken a stance on this in Canada.  Especially since it will
> be universities
> which will have to foot the bill.  The DLI will not include
> data coming from
> non uniform, unstandardized and only densely populated areas on
> specifictopics from the private sector.  It is bad enough
> that we have to purchase
> data from our own government, now we get to purchase lower
> quality data from
> the private sector!  Up goes tuition I guess!
>
> http://liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/12523_2011-Census
> <http://liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-
> Senate/Statement/12523_2011-Census>
> http://www.parl.gc.ca/40/3/parlbus/chambus/senate/deb-
> e/077db_2010-12-13-E.htm?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=3#29
> <http://liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-
> Senate/Statement/12523_2011-Census>
> Industry
>
> 2011 Census
>
> *Hon. Claudette Tardif (Deputy Leader of the Opposition):* We learned
> recently that university researchers will have to rely more on
> the private
> sector to obtain the data they need, because of the Conservative
> government's decision to make the long-form census voluntary. A
> number of
> researchers will have to use their federal grant money to obtain
> data from
> private businesses, which adds not only to the financial burden
> on colleges
> and universities, but also to the support that the federal
> government will
> have to provide.
>
> Research budgets at post-secondary institutions are small enough
> as it is.
> Could the leader tell us whether her government will increase
> subsidies to
> federal grant agencies when Canadian colleges and universities
> can no longer
> support the financial burden to purchase data, a responsibility
> that falls
> under her jurisdiction?
>
> [*English*]
>
> *Hon. Marjory LeBreton (Leader of the Government):* Honourable
> senators, the
> government has increased funding to a wide variety of areas for
> post-secondary education.
>
> With regard to the census, I point out yet again that the
> decision of the
> government is final. We will have a short-form mandatory census,
> and we will
> have a voluntary household survey that will cover more people
> and have the
> same questions. We expect the response will be remarkable and
> that the
> information gleaned from that long-form household survey, which
> contains the
> same number of questions asked in the mandatory long-form census
> but with a
> wider distribution, will provide all the information required
> for the
> various organizations that are required to use it.
>
> [*Translation*]
>
> *Senator Tardif:* Honourable senators, many researchers have
> expressed their
> serious concerns about the government's decision to make the
> long-form
> census voluntary. Ellen Goddard, a professor of rural economics
> at the
> University of Alberta, even believes that some researchers will never
> receive funding and that they will have to spend more time
> applying for
> additional grants, rather than focusing on research.
>
> University research is a vital engine of the Canadian economy.
> How does the
> government plan to ensure funding for university researchers who
> will have
> to spend more time and money collecting data given that the 2011
> Census data
> will be of no use to them?
>
> [*English*]
>
> *Senator LeBreton:* To set the record straight, we have
> increased funding of
> three granting councils by an average of 20 per cent since 2005-
> 06. We have
> also created new programs, such as the Canada Excellence
> Research Chairs and
> the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Canada is ranked number
> one in the
> G7 for supporting basic, discovery-oriented university research.
> Our science
> and technology strategy, which was launched in 2007, helps
> create jobs,
> improve quality of life for Canadians and build a stronger
> economy for
> future generations.
>
> I remind the honourable senator that the record of the former Liberal
> government was to cut funding for science and technology by $442
> million in
> the mid-1990s. Therefore, we do not take a backseat to anyone
> with regard to
> support for our universities and research and development.
>
> *Senator Tardif:* The Leader of the Government in the Senate has
> avoided the
> question and has not provided a suitable answer.
>
> Let us sidestep here and speak about another complaint this time from
> Aboriginal organizations and chiefs from Atlantic Canada. Their
> complaint is
> that questions about ethnicity and ancestry were changed in the 2011
> long-form questionnaire. The new National Household Survey uses
> the term
> "First Nations" when asking whether a person is Aboriginal. Is
> that person
> an Aboriginal person; that is, First Nations, North American
> Indian, Metis
> or Inuit?
>
> The complainants balk at the use of the term "First Nations,"
> viewing it as
> an attempt to lower the number of respondents who identify as
> Aboriginals by
> suddenly excluding those who live off of the reserve. Is that
> the intent of
> the leader's government?
>
> *Senator LeBreton:* First, the honourable senator has raised the
> issue with
> regard to First Nations people in Atlantic Canada, and as she
> has pointed
> out, it is before the courts and I, of course, cannot respond.
>
> [*Translation*]
>