NDP call for reinstatement of long-form census passes at industry committee

OTTAWA – Deputy NDP Industry Critic, Claude Gravelle (Nickel Belt) moved a motion calling for the immediate reinstatement of the mandatory long-form portion of the 2011 census. The motion passed with a minor amendment.

“Expert after expert made it perfectly clear that Minister Clement’s ideological decision, made without any consultation and against the recommendation of Statistics Canada, would seriously hinder our capacity to collect and analyze critical data on issues affecting countless communities in Canada,” said Gravelle.

“Tony Clement and this Conservative government have manufactured a crisis in the middle of the summer, trying to avoid any Parliamentary accountability,” said New Democrat MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay). “The NDP is prepared to continue hearings on this issue if the government refuses to provide necessary documentation demanded by committee members, or if it refuses to change its decision.”

The NDP Motion:
That pursuant to Standing Order 108 and the committee’s study of the long-form portion of the Census, this Committee notes that, the long-form census is a vital tool for good policy-making and the decision to amend it was short-sighted and carried out without consultation. Therefore, the government should immediately reinstate the mandatory nature of the long-form census. And, that this committee tables this report upon resumption of Parliament.