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Statistics Canada's breach of trust with Canadians :In its own website, Statistics Canada asserts: "Canada owes the success of its statistical system to a long-standing partnership between Statistics Canada, the citizens of Canada, its businesses, governments and other institutions. Accurate and timely statistical information could not be produced without their continued cooperation and goodwill." We strongly believe that the outsourcing of the software and hardware component of the 2006 Canada Census to a US subsidiary corporation, and in particular a subsidiary of armaments manufacturer Lockheed Martin, is an unconscionable breach of that goodwill and trust. Despite the assurances of Statistics Canada that Lockheed Martin employees will not have custody of Canadians' personal data, we are far from reassured that citizens' privacy will be preserved, and that the US Patriot Act would not come into play. We believe that the only way Statistics Canada can offer full assurance of privacy and confidentiality, is not to contract the Canada Census out at all. In trying to save a few dollars by outsourcing, Statistics Canada has forfeited the "continued cooperation and goodwill" of Canadians that it refers to in its website. And solely for the sake of argument, suppose that despite the contracting out to Lockheed Martin, confidentiality could be 100% guaranteed. We still believe that the fact that our own Canada Census was contracted out under the Free Trade Agreement to the subsidiary of a major US armaments manufacturer is reason in itself for Canadians to offer only minimum cooperation with the May 2006 Canada Census. The Privacy issue is simply an important additional reason. Canadians now have the opportunity to condemn this breach of trust, which moves Canada further towards deep integration with the United States and the loss of Canadian sovereignty. Canadians can clearly and easily express their outrage through MINIMUM COOPERATION with the May 2006 Canada Census. |