- Harper's 'Right' Knight To The Rescue

Posted: 8/22/2010 11:35:51 AM, The Globe and Mail
om Flanagan, Globe and Mail, Aug. 20, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/should-we-just-shut-up-and-do-what-statistics-canada-tells-us-to-do/article1678999/ Tab 37

Flanagan is obfuscating the real issue here and given his connections to Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party, it seems to me likely deliberately and perhaps as part of his effort to the cause.

"The Conservative government was, indeed, wrong in the way it started the great census debate. Its reforms were not thought through, it should have consulted the user groups created through so many decades of providing cheap data, and it should have had a more coherent communications plan. (Any plan would have been an improvement.)"

Flanagan is, of course, correct here but he is watering down his original position to an incredible extent and one can only ask themselves why.

If I recall what Flanagan, at the start of all this, said was "I think it was an exercise in bad government to suddenly spring this on the public without any previous discussion, no consultation at all . . . You don't deal with the public that way in a democracy." (Montreal Gazette).

Flanagan asks "What’s worse than ill-advised political interference in public administration?"

The Answer really is: 'Exemption of the Harper government from political oversight'

This is not Statcan trying to break free and run amuck with our privacy.

This is all about Canadians finally starting to stand up and be heard regarding the manner in with Harper and his Con's are destroying our Canada and undermining our Democratic way of life.

If Flanagan's true objective were to fix something, the rational approach would be to suggest how the questions could be changes to improve the results. If it's one thing Flanagan knows it's polls and surveys.

The real issue Harper and the Con's in a very deliberate and inch-by-inch fashion surreptitiously destroying the very social fabric of Canada to establish their right-wing extremist ideology as well as dismantle Canadian federalism. He is doing it in a very anti-demoncratic fashion through the executive powers of the office of Prime Minister to corrupt and manipulate the Administrative Branch. Firing those at the top who oppose him, or simply are 100%'ers, is one method Harper is using, over and over. Installation of political appointments is another. Viscous attacks while avoiding the real issue is another. Controlling the message given by anyone under Harper control, including the civil service is another - referred to as the MEPs. Changing the rules is another. This was, apparently, at Flanagan's advise, as he revealed in his recent book. Getting rid of the Long Form in the census is a particularly insidious example of the above, since its true and far reaching effect is indirect.

Rather than using rationality to try to convince his readers that the Long Form is an example of bureaucracy at its worst, Flanagan try to connect on an emotional, non-rational basis by giving an example of a question that his portrays as silly or useless, or poorly crafted.

If his true objective were to fix something that he perceives needs fixing, the rational approach would be to suggest how the questions could be changes to improve the results. If it's one thing Flanagan knows it's polls and surveys.

If it is the potential risk to our privacy, perhaps Flanagan could explain why it is at any greater risk than the very extensive and intrusive information we are compelled to give to Revenue Canada, and other such.

If it is the potential criminal charges that is his concern, then simply suggest other methods. I think they should pay the people to fill the form out, after all StatsCan does sell the information and people use it to make money and we are in a Commerce based society. That is likely to get a better response than the threat of criminal sanctions.

Also, Flanagan should point out all the other places that abiding by the legislation is re-inforced by criminal sanctions. I can't wait to see Harper and the Con's get to dealing with each of these, one-by-one.

[There are approx 692 Federal Statutes with their corresponding sets of regulations (approx 3442). Generally each (statute and pursuant regulations, rules, etc) has provisions for criminal prosecution for failing to do something it requires be done or not doing something that would transgress the provisions of the legislation. This is besides the Canadian Criminal Code.

This makes an awful lot of opportunities to be thrown in jail. And from this 'criminal offence pool' I am very confident that there could be found many, many examples that, if brought to the attention of Canadians, would illicit the type of response that Tony Clement is giving to the Long Form. So why would Harper and the Con's be so firm on this one - it's all in the Ideology.

Next time you use a stamp to mail a letter keep in mind that:
Canada Post Corporation Act

Next time you use a penny to replace that blown fuse keep in mind you may be committing a criminal office (of course, you may have the defence of insanity available to you).

See my post: 28 July, 2010, - Stephen Harper: It's The Ideology, Stupid! ]

Also, Flanagan states as an example of how bad the current system is: "And Statistics Canada has no clear idea of the number of status Indians because 22 first nations refused full co-operation with the 2006 census". However, he fails to inform us of how many were prosecuted, thrown in jail or even received a fine - sound familiar - vis.: Tony Clement, Stockwell Day, and the other Con's.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html