Mr. Speaker, a year ago a briefing note was prepared for Industry Canada detailing the concerns of numerous federal departments. Replacing the mandatory long form census with a voluntary survey would significantly compromise their ability to develop and evaluate public policy relevant to issues like EI, aboriginal health, housing, education, as well as the settling of immigrants.
Despite this crystal clear advice, the Prime Minister decided unilaterally to press ahead. When will the government do the right thing and restore the mandatory long form census?