2. Is there a legitimate need for any contracting out of even some preparatory work for the census? Given technological changes, the 2006 Census will have to be conducted in a manner that is different from previous censuses. We have to offer Canadians a user-friendly option to return their questionnaires via the Internet - with security that exceeds that used by on-line banking operations. Among other requirements, this necessitates the practically instantaneous scanning of even those questionnaires returned via the regular mail. These tasks are enormously difficult to implement: they require an on-line operation capable of tracking the census returns of over 12 million households from one end of the country to the other to ensure that at all times we know who returned their questionnaires by mail and who did so via the Internet; and the practically instantaneous scanning of over 12 million questionnaires. Statistics Canada simply has no experience with the development of software involved in a huge and specialised scanning and Internet operation. Consequently, it was decided that it would be more cost-effective to leverage outside expertise in the development of these systems.
3. When we decided to contract out the software development necessitated by the Internet, we wanted to be able to hold accountable the eventual contractor for the smooth functioning of the software and specialised hardware involved. We therefore specified that they must be responsible for the operation of the questionnaire scanning - of course, under our supervision and our own security arrangements so as to ensure the total security of Canadians' census returns up to the very high traditional standards of Statistics Canada. In addition, they were all to be sworn in under the Statistics Act and so be subject to all the confidentiality constraints and penalties to which regular Statistics Canada employees are subject. Statistics Canada was unqualifiedly certain that it could continue to be the guarantor of the confidentiality and security of census information.
4. The contracting was carried out with the most scrupulous and meticulous care. The group of Canadian companies headed by Lockheed Martin Canada submitted what was clearly the best bid, based on their experience in carrying out similar tasks in other countries' censuses.
5. To reiterate, even though Statistics Canada was unambiguously clear that it could protect confidentiality, we feel that public trust in the census is fundamental. Consequently, we have made arrangements to limit the contracting out of census work to nothing more than the provision of specialised software hardware. Under the new arrangements, all operational activities of the 2006 Census will be carried out by regular employees of Statistics Canada - as in past censuses. Only employees of Statistics Canada, sworn to secrecy under the Statistics Act, and subject to significant penalties should their oath be violated, will have access to census returns. All completed census returns will be secured in facilities controlled by Statistics Canada. All of the Census data will be stored on a secure computer network, with no link outside of Statistics Canada.
The ability to produce high quality statistics is dependent on the trust of Canadians. Statistics Canada would never betray this trust by making available census returns to anybody outside of the Agency, especially a foreign country.
Ivan P. Fellegi
Chief Statistician of Canada
Note: forum topic
http://census.vivelecan...
Stumble It!
That being said, though the response indicates that
'we have decided to limit the scope of this contract strictly to the development of software and the provision of some specialized hardware.' (point 1)
meaning they make and give us the hardware and software, they are still allowing Martin-Lockheed to take the census!!!
'for the smooth functioning of the software and specialised hardware involved. We therefore specified that they must be
responsible for the operation of the questionnaire scanning - of course, under our supervision' (middle of point 3)
This doublespeak is complete nonsense. Do they exect thier response not to be read? or only the beginning and end of their peice? both of which say Lockheed-Martin will not be involved.
Now I'm going to write them a personal letter asking for an explanation of what they mean!
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If we are standing still we are moving backwards.
1)They said “in light of a contract by Statistics Canada with a group of firms including Lockheed Martin Canada”, who are the other firms that are under contract to Stats Can?
2)They are limiting the contract “to the development of software and the provision of some specialized hardware”. Are they saying that Canadian Universities, Colleges and Technical Institutes are not turning out people capeable of writing a program to handle census records input over the internet as well as scanned in? Are we to believe that these same institutions of higher learning are turning people out who cannot determine what sort of equipment would have to be purchased to handle twelve million census forms?
3)They say “We have to offer Canadians a user-friendly option to return their questionnaires via the Internet - with security that exceeds that used by on-line banking operations.” Why, we did not demand that we be allowed to do the census over the internet and we certainly do not need any greater security than that accorded a bank transaction.
4)Now this next bit is just plain insulting IMHO, “this necessitates the practically instantaneous scanning of even those questionnaires returned via the regular mail.” What do they plan to do, put the returns in a black box and when they are sure that they have them all, whip them out and scan them all almost instantaneously? The only questionaires that will be scanned will be the hand written ones, so what is with the “even those questionaires returned by the regular mail” bologna?
5)Get a load of this next bit of lunacy, “These tasks are enormously difficult to implement: they require an on-line operation capable of tracking the census returns of over 12 million households from one end of the country to the other to ensure that at all times we know who returned their questionnaires by mail and who did so via the Internet;”. It sounds like they don’t have anybody in the planning department that knows anything about computers or application programs. They certainly seem to have assumed that we don’t know anything about computers, computer accessories and application programming. Why the necessity to know which of the twelve million households have used mail or internet “at all times”? Is this a big brother thing or is the person who composed the response incompetent. They say ““These tasks are enormously difficult to implement”, if they think so then they should be fired for being outdated and unfit for the position.
6)They continue with “Statistics Canada simply has no experience with the development of software involved in a huge and specialised scanning and Internet operation.” They have to be kidding, this is a simple operation, it is not tremendously complicated, nor does it have as much riding on it as voting in an election. Why all the propaganda?
7)Then they said, “it was decided that it would be more cost-effective to leverage outside expertise in the development of these systems.’ Are these people literate, you don’t “leverage outside expertise”, you hire consultants or firms. What systems, do you have to train Jack and Jill to put census forms on the scanner? Do they know anything about databases? Is this Statistics Canada or Simpletons Anonymous?
9)Then they said, “. We therefore specified that they must be responsible for the operation of the questionnaire scanning - of course, under our supervision and our own security arrangements so as to ensure the total security of Canadians' census returns up to the very high traditional standards of Statistics Canada”. Jack and Jill, ( the high tech, almost instantaneous, scanner squad), are going to be Lockheed Martin employees. They will be carefully scrutinized by Stats Can employees to ensure that they don’t read this data that they are scanning into the computer. Jack and Jill will be sworn in, they will be subject to penalties just like regular Stats Can employees. I can’t figure out what regular Stats Can employees do. If they can’t handle scanning why are they there?
10) They go on with, “Statistics Canada was unqualifiedly certain that it could continue to be the guarantor of the confidentiality and security of census information.” They say that they were unqualifiedly certain, does that mean that they are no longer certain or does it mean that they are so tense that they don’t know which tense they have used anymore?
11)They say, “The group of Canadian companies headed by Lockheed Martin Canada submitted what was clearly the best bid, based on their experience in carrying out similar tasks in other countries' censuses”. Are they saying that they received glowing testimonials from other countries, if so let us see them. Or are they saying that Lockheed Martin disclosed information about the other countries censuses to Stats Can.. Let us see all the bids made by all the companies vying for the contract, let us see that this was not just another patronage appointment.
12)Then they say, “we have made arrangements to limit the contracting out of census work to nothing more than the provision of specialised software hardware.” What exactly is “software hardware”? I have a degree in Computer Systems and I have never heard of this new hybrid. Do they have people working for them that are illiterate or do they just think that we all are?
13)Then they say, “The ability to produce high quality statistics is dependent on the trust of Canadians. Statistics Canada would never betray this trust by making available census returns to anybody outside of the Agency, especially a foreign country.” They just got done saying that they planned to use people from outside the Agency. Now they say they would never do what they were planning to do!
14)In summary, at God damn last, they only plan to have the provision of software hardware contracted out. But, whoever is writing the programs would be able to put back doors in. They seem to be a bunch of computer illiterates so there is no way that they can guarantee the security of the census data. They have to have an in house software development team. The fact that they don’t suggests incompetence or corruption or both, IMHO.
One of the most confounding things for me about Stats Canada's explanation as to why it's contracting out has been that if the people at Stats Canada are so computer illiterate and so incompetent we have to contract out, HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD ARE THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN COMPETENT ENOUGHT TO OVERSEE THE SECURITY? This has never added up for me. If sounds like complete bullshit.
Also, why are we spending all this money on a system that all Canadians won't have access to? How many people are going to be able to use it? They'll still be using the mail so keep to the mail. Or is Lockheed Martin the only company out there that knows how to do that anymore as well?
I agree Milton, no one asked us if we wanted this system and I'd like to see the other contract offers as well. What do you bet there are no others?
Just do it the old fashioned Canadian way and stop trying to baffle us with bullshit; we are far to used to digging through the crap which they have been shovelling our way, for too many years! I agree that it appears they are insulting our intelligence and that of the great Canadian technologist, isn't Canada a leader in computer programming and software programs etc?
Hell it's probably a Canadian that designed Lockheed Martin's software, just that if they work for them, our info is up for grabs under the Patriot Act; so no no no I think we'll have to continue to boycott the idea and keep letting them know, as well as get this on the news somehow!
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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?
"The greatest price of not participating in politics is being governed by your inferiors." Plato
network.
Except for the 12 million Canadians who will enter their census forms
over the internet.
Except for that. No outside connections.
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