Harper prefers ideology to sociology

Re Why we should care about reinstating long-form census, Opinion Feb. 2 Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper is essentially a U.S.-style Republican, and makes similar use of the “Keep it simple, stupid” rule (“Drill, baby, drill!”) and prefers to campaign using Americanstyle attack ads. Those who resort to such tactics have very little interest in “an informed citizenry.”

To Harper, crafting policies that are in sync with reliable data is the slippery slope to having to offer costly social programs even to (gasp!) “remote and marginalized areas of the country” — you know, all the places an underfunded CBC reaches out to.

Harper would much rather prove his ideology than commit sociology and will not let mere facts get in his way. His telephone-book-thick omnibus bills, designed to frustrate lawmakers and make fully informed dissent next to impossible, and his lack of open-mindedness when it comes to alternate explanations for recent “terror” incidents show a commitment to snowing lawmakers and the public that would incite the envy of any snowstarved ski resort.

But alas, we’re past the point where humour does any good when it comes to slowing Harper’s disinformation campaign. Ron Charach, Toronto Stephen Bede Scharper reminds us once again of the short-sighted folly of the Harper government in eliminating the long-form census. The fact that the census would provide more comprehensive data at less expense than the current National Household Survey seems to have escaped the self-proclaimed prudent fiscal managers currently at our national helm.

Canadians deserve science-based decisions. Bringing back the census would provide researchers with far better data at less cost, data that can enable governments at all levels to make sound science-based policy and administrative decisions. As Liberal MP Ted Hsu notes, “we now pay more to get less data.”

Good fiscal management by our current federal government? Hardly. Bill Wensley, Cobourg