A note from the Honourable | L'honorable Perrin Beatty

President and Chief Executive Officer | Président et chef de la direction
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce | La Chambre de commerce du Canada

One of the most controversial issues in Ottawa today is the government’s decision to make the long-form census voluntary. A wide variety of groups, including a number of chambers of commerce, have expressed their concern over the decision.

Thanks very much to all of you who have kept the Canadian Chamber informed of what you are hearing from your members. If your members would like to express your views, we have an e-poll on the front page of our Web site www.chamber.ca , which will help ensure that federal government knows what Canadian businesses are thinking.

The Canadian Chamber is on record as favouring keeping the long-form census mandatory, although we are certainly open to examining whether the penalties associated with a refusal to complete the form need to be so severe. In addition, the questions on the census need to be regularly reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate. The National Statistics Council, the senior, external advisory group appointed by the government of Canada to advise the Chief Statistician, made similar recommendations today.  If you would like to see a copy of their statement, it is available here: http://macleans.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/nsc-statement-en.doc.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology will hold a hearing on Tuesday July 27, at which they are expected to hear from both the Minister of Industry and the former Chief Statistician. The Canadian Chamber will monitor that meeting and will continue our efforts to ensure that Canadian businesses and other stakeholders have access to data that is both comprehensive and reliable.