This was the time when the RCMP were exposed for infiltrating unions, burning barns, infiltrating the left and anti-war movements, universities and the Quebec nationalist movements. The Canadian Census was supposed to be secure and confidential. And it was a crime not to fill in your census form.
Well I refused, and when I got called from the irate bureaucrat from Stats Canada informing me that I had to comply I replied I would be happy to if he in writing could assure me that my information was secure and not subject to being handed to the RCMP. Well all a fluster he informed me my information was secure, and I assured him I would only believe him when I had it in writing. Suffice it to say he did not provide me with that assurance in writing. Nor did he press charges.
Today Statistics Canada has contracted out its data collection to Lockheed Martin, yes that Lockheed Martin the company that advertises on US television about how it is Defending America.This means our data is not secure. Vive Canada.ca has launched a campaign to halt this contracting out and failing that are calling for Non Participation in the 2006 Census.
Count Me Out!
Lockheed Martin (the biggest U.S. weapons contractor and in fact the biggest weapons contractor in the world) is working on the next Canadian Census. That's because Statistics Canada chose to contract out the part of the census dealing with software, hardware and printing to Lockheed Martin--despite the fact that Stat Can promotes itself at home and internationally as a leader in information gathering.
What this means is that your tax dollars for the census will go to a non-Canadian corporation. It means that Canadian jobs will be lost due to the automation of the census. And it means that a large part of the census will be handled by a corporation that makes weapons of mass destruction. A corporation that reaps huge benefits financially from the war in Iraq, a war that Canadians rightfully oppose. A corporation that works behind the scenes to influence U.S. public policy to help maximize its own profits. A corporation that is leading the development of the Star Wars missile-defense program for the Pentagon. A corporation that is consistently rated one of the worst corporations in the world for various reasons including human rights abuses. And a corporation that might invade your privacy.
Say no to Lockheed Martin's involvement in the Canadian census. Say yes to Canada. Join Canadians across the country and BOYCOTT the census.
We offer suggestions for several different actions you can take, from sending an email form letter, to simply completing only the paper census rather than the online census, to a full boycott. To find out how you can take action, just click here: census.vivelecanada.ca
To access only the email form letter, click here: census.vivelecanada.ca/letter.php
For more information on the issue, visit: The Census Issue
And please visit our partner site on this action, CountMeOut.ca
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Stats-Canada,, Census, Census2006,, Lockheed,, contracting-out,, RCMP,, security,, privacy,, Canada,, government
3 comments:
What does this mean then?
" We depend on you!
When you fill in your census form on Tuesday, May 16, you continue a Canadian tradition that goes back over 300 years—from a few pioneer villages in 1666 to today’s large and prosperous country. In fact, the census is so important that, by law, you must complete your questionnaire."
You are correct it is still against the law not to fill in your census, even if your privacy is not assured. I have corrected my blog comment. Thanks.
Folks should check out Saskboy's comment on the Census dispute as well.
I phoned StatsCan tonight to confirm too. I also asked other questions, and will update my blog tonight with them and the answers about the census.
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