An independent, well-funded, and well-staffed central statistical agency is a prerequisite for rational public policy-making. Statistics Canada is currently under a severe threat.
This is very bad news for those of us who use statistical data to do our jobs, but it's even worse news for the StatCan professionals who are directly affected.
© 2012, David E. Giles
That is bad news. I know here down in the US we do need to get government spending under control, but it seems a bit draconian to go after the people who produce the data that policy makers, economists, etc., depend on. Without good data, you can't make good policy decisions.
ReplyDeleteI regularly use StatsCan too, but surely we need some information about what's being cut before we can get upset. Just being affiliated with an institution that's important does not give one blanket immunity.
ReplyDeleteFair points. However, with the canning of the long-form census, the resignation of the previous chief, this is one more nail. And 50%??
DeleteLet's see how this plays out.
Dave: Have you seen the piece on this by Philip Cross, in today's (May 3) Financial Post Comment section? It throws a somewhat different light on the process.
ReplyDeleteBrian - thanks for pointing me to that. Interesting! Here's the link:
Deletehttp://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/05/02/civil-service-games/