honeybadgerpress.ca

Long Form Census Debate

As published in the Ottawa Sun, Cape Breton Post and Macleans:
August, 2010

While the Harper government’s visceral hostility to the long form census reflects their blinkered cosmology; it is rooted in calculating practicality. In spite of their public protestations about “intrusive questions”, former Mike Harris colleagues like Tony Clement, John Baird and Jim Flaherty are keenly aware of the strategic value of accurate census and/or poll information. Harper and company are intent on crippling their opposition by weakening the census, a key source of data for social justice groups, academia and of course, the political opposition. Why would Harper support a tool available to his “enemies” when he has his own political census bureau courtesy of the Conservative Party? The Conservatives, inspired by the polling methodology behind the so-called Common Sense Revolution; maintain a well-financed and effective research branch whose main aim is to identify die hard supporters and facilitate the marginalization of everyone else. This identification explains many of their evidence-free stances on issues like crime, drug use and now the census. Like Harris before them, they play to staunch supporters who are driven more by emotion that fact. Our fragile democracy is being poisoned by people who can’t see past their hunger to dominate any who dare to disagree.

While the Harper government’s visceral hostility to the long form census reflects their blinkered cosmology; it is rooted in calculating practicality. In spite of their public protestations about “intrusive questions”, former Mike Harris colleagues like Tony Clement, John Baird and Jim Flaherty are keenly aware of the strategic value of accurate census and/or poll information. Harper and company are intent on crippling their opposition by weakening the census, a key source of data for social justice groups, academia and of course, the political opposition. Why would Harper support a tool available to his “enemies” when he has his own political census bureau courtesy of the Conservative Party? The Conservatives, inspired by the polling methodology behind the so-called Common Sense Revolution; maintain a well-financed and effective research branch whose main aim is to identify die hard supporters and facilitate the marginalization of everyone else. This identification explains many of their evidence-free stances on issues like crime, drug use and now the census. Like Harris before them, they play to staunch supporters who are driven more by emotion that fact. Our fragile democracy is being poisoned by people who can’t see past their hunger to dominate any who dare to disagree.