Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

The census show trials

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, August 27, 2010 1:46pm - 0 Comments

The industry committee is in the midst of another day of hearings on the census—you can view the proceedings online here. CP and the Globe have filed early dispatches. The Globe’s Steve Chase is also keeping a running account.

If you’d tuned in a moment ago, you would have noticed that among the witnesses was Calgary talk radio host Dave Rutherford. And if you’re wondering why a talk radio show host would be called before a parliamentary committee to testify on the census, you are apparently not alone. This from Mr. Rutherford’s own Twitter feed.

Hey the politicians must be desparate. I have been “invited” to appear at the Industry Committee in Ottawa about the census long form. Why?

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  • ex-canuck

    Why not? It is a show trial, no?

  • Loraine Lamontagne

    Whoever called him in as witness is desparate.

    Who was it?

    • onthehill

      I don't think we will know. However, I have a feeling the Conservative staffer that was supposed to vet the witnesses is going to spend the next couple weeks shuffling papers. Every single government witness managed to embarrass himself or the government. I have no issues with "real, hard working, ordinary Canadians" testifying at committee hearings, but they should at least know why they are there and have a basic understanding of the issues.

      - The three (3!) representatives of the GTA Chinese-Canadian community had nothing to say, made factual errors in their opening statements, and were generally ignorant with regards to the issue of the census.
      - The farmer.. well he was actually upset about the Census of Agriculture, which the government supports (oups!).
      - Mrs Vonn from the BC Civil Liberties Association didn't believe the long form census was a big intrusion on the privacy of Canadians and proceeded to mention more important privacy violations such as airport scanners.
      - Mr. Rutherford, let's just say his opening statement was priceless: "I don't know why I'm here!"
      - Mr McFarlane, some political commentator, lost all credibility when he started comparing the mandatory long form to waterboarding or putting a gun to someone's head.
      Talk about amateur hour.

      • Jan

        And the people who organized this are currently running the country. It's a sobering thought.

        • craigola

          Or it could drive you to drink.

  • http://creekside1.blogspot.com/ Alison

    Jane Taber, G&M, Aug 16 :
    Clement digs in heels and gains a supporter
    "While Mr. Clement says he feels “alone” in this battle, there are some pundits helping him out. Conservative talk-radio host Dave Rutherford has mocked reporters who criticized the decision."

  • http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com/ Scott_Tribe

    I was presuming the reason they called in a couple of radio talk show hosts was to get them to not only express their own opposition to a mandatory longform census as "a regular guy", but to explain how all of their callers either hated the mandatory longform, or at most, thought it was an issue unworthy of so much hue and outcry, and thus it must be getting propagated by the left wing media (Stephen Taylor's claim, in otherwards). Ergo, 'regular people' supported he government's decision.

    Not having seen the hearings or a summary of them, I havent yet been able to discern whether that theory is true or not.

    • Standing By

      From the part of the morning session I saw, I think they succeeded in juxtaposing the views of (bad elite) people who know about and use statistics with the views of (good ordinary) people of who don't know anything at all about the census.

      It was like one of those climate change debates where a Nobel prize winning climatologist debates science with a guy who owns a hardware store and has a blog.

      • Jan

        The Conservatives need a Joe the Plumber. A generic everyman they could have on staff to appear at all these committee meetings and make their case for them.

        • colin

          Wasn't that James the Farmer who they called up today?

    • Stephen

      I object to the concept of anyone calling into a talk radio show as a "regular person."

  • bennji

    I am having sudden flashback to the 2008 Presidential campaign. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_the_Plumber

    • Jan

      Sorry, bennji, I didn't see this when I posted above. Great minds…

  • Oliver

    The vibe I get is the witnesses that are against the census in the Globe article linked really don't have much to say: one is talking about what others told him (hear-say, now there's something worth while when trying to make an informed decision) while someone else didn't even understand that what he was against was the agriculture census (needing accountants for the long form census?! He was complaining about something he doesn't even understand).
    Then some one in favour of the census used numbers to show how little time it actually takes to fill out the form (30 minutes every 50 years!).
    The real meat was where the CPC brought up the issue that people faked the answers because of privacy issues. That's the only thing that was worthwhile, even though it's hardly verifiable.

    • tobyornotoby

      The evidence that respondents faked answers: "Some guy told me…"

      • Loraine Lamontagne

        Conservatives call this evidence-based politics.

  • amherstvw

    The testimony to retain the census has largely been evidence-based.

    Meanwhile, the government side's questioners BELIEVE in the goodness of Canadians to fill out the census in a representative way … after they slam the sale of the same data and have been devaluing the census since the G20. Extreme concocted hypotheticals hi-lite the govt's failure to govern.

    Saddest of all are some conservative-minded newcomers to Canada who equate a mandatory census with tyranny in their countries of birth. They suggest it is an energy-wasting frill … Canada should lead the G-7 and its citizens should be doing real business. After they read the CPC talking points, they can't even answer the questions they are asked. However, one of these "ordinary Canadians" has gone abroad on a junket with the PM.

    • Holly Stick

      Meanwhile, the Harperites are frantically working to get "Census Opposition for Dummies" to the printer.

  • wsam

    When will Mr. Rutherford admit he hates the troops.?

    • RunningGag

      Mr. Rutherford? When the troops speak out against the Conservatives. The guy is a hack in every sense of the word.

  • colin

    THE PLURAL OF ANECDOTE IS NOT DATA!

    • Jan

      It is when you put it through the Conservative spin machine.

      • Reverend_Blair

        Perhaps we need a private members bill requiring fact-based policy making. It would be fun to see the Conservatives argue against it.

  • no more non-partisan

    Let's get rid of the census' criminal sanctions and replace them with water-boarding to get the information. Better yet let's outsource our long form to the Syrians- they know how to get information. $500 or extraordinary rendition- think of the quality of information we'd have then.

    • http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com/ Scott_Tribe

      How many people have been imprisoned in what is now Canada since the French started their 1st census back in New France in 1656 for failing to answer a census?

      • no more non-partisan

        You compare a ledger of counting people to the sociologist's and marketer's wet dream that we have now? There were 6 questions on the 1966 census – sounds about right for the purpose it serves. What happened in the 60's? Oh I don't know some guy that really did want the government in the bedrooms of the nation after all.

  • Livebloggin Junkie

    While the effort is appreciated, Steve Chase's twitter feed is a poor substitute for a Kady liveblog.
    Withdrawal is hard :(

  • bennji

    Don't know,……….Lowell Green had a previous engagement?

  • http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com/ Scott_Tribe
  • Jan

    No kidding. What a day for her to be away. Watching it on CPAC – online is too frustrating due to the buffering.Hopefully it will be broadcast over the weekend.

  • bennji

    WOW

  • John D

    Jesus.

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