The Conservative government of Prime Minster Stephen Harper has done plenty during its time in power to get Canadians riled up.So there is some surprise that the government's decision to do away with the mandatory long form census and replace it with a voluntary survey has generated so much anger among Canadians.At first blush it seems to be a non-issue. After all, the majority of Canadians found filling out the long form to be a pain. There was also the issue of possible jail time and a hefty fine should one make the decision not to complete the form. Harper even cited the possibility of jail time for regular, law abiding Canadians as one of the reasons for the move when he made his first public comments on the matter Monday.So really, the government is doing everybody a favour, right? Wrong.Like many of their heavy-handed decisions in the past, the move is equal parts confusing and shortsighted.Although the census may not be a sexy topic, it is tough to deny its importance in our everyday lives. Governments, whether they be of the federal, provincial or municipal variety, use data from the census to shape many of the services they deliver. The census tells us what kind of country we are and what kind of country we are going to be.Other organizations including school boards use the census to understand the demographics of the children they serve and use that information to deliver the best possible educational experience. The Saskatchewan School Board Association recently voiced their concerns about the decision, noting that eliminating the mandatory census undermines access to a whole range of important information about Canadian society in general and Saskatchewan in particular.There are other groups, too numerous to mention, who have voiced similar concerns on the decision.What has been the response from the Conservatives? Unfortunately, but as is sadly becoming commonplace, they have adopted the "we know best" attitude that Harper has often been criticized for.Faced with questions for the first time Monday, Harper dropped the aforementioned line about not wanting to send law abiding Canadians to jail. He also said some citizens of our country were leery about providing certain information to the government.Setting aside the fact that in this age of the internet and websites such as Facebook nobody seems all that interested in their privacy anymore, perhaps if the government were to a better job of explaining why this information is necessary, the level of trepidation would decrease.Instead they elect to go with the scorched earth policy and come up with a method that is sure to provide information nowhere near as thorough as what had been supplied in the past. Surely there has to be some middle ground on the issue. No one should go to jail over a census but perhaps there should be enough of a penalty to implore someone to fill out the form.Since the next census will not be conducted until 2011 there is enough time for the government to reverse its decision. One can only hope that common sense might prevail.
