OTTAWA - A group representing Canada's statisticians is calling on the Conservative government to reverse its decision to replace the mandatory long census with a voluntary survey.
In a letter to Industry Minister Tony Clement, the Statistical Society of Canada says it's writing "in the interests of maintaining the high quality of information" for which Statistics Canada is famous.
Clement has said the decision was based on an unspecified number of complaints about the coercive and intrusive nature of the census process.
Those who refused to fill out the form faced prosecution and fines.
But current and past-presidents of the statisticians' society, along with the head of the American Statistical Association, say Ottawa needs to obtain unbiased statistical information in areas critical to planning Canada's future.
The signatories say the government will save money, not to mention preserve Canada's reputation for top-quality statistical information, if it reverses the decision.
