Update On The Census Testing

Susan,

This is great news. Do you have the email addy for this journalist?

Kevin

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"Love actually, is all around us" --From the movie Love Actually.

Yes Yes Yes, we can make a difference! Great news!

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Here's another tip.

I'm a Stat Can interviewer. The software we use in our day-to-day work when we're doing interviews on the phone and typing in answers on the computer was made by Statistics Netherlands. The programs is called Blaise, and over the last few years most Stat Can surveys have been moved to it.

I think this point has been made before. Why do we need Lockheed Martin? If Statisics Netherlands is good enough to make the software the runs most of Stat Can's surveys, why can't Stat Can do the same in regards to the Census?

So if I understand this correctly, Mr. Fellegi's most recent letter to Vive is umm, how shall I put this... B.S.

Illiterate obfuscatory BS! Good news about the drop kick to the head of Stats Canadas head though. We must continue to apply pressure and put Anonymous's tip into our letters of protest.

This is very encouraging Susan. Hopefully this reporter will keep persuing the story and get the word out. With Vive's and Mr. Blaikie's efforts maybe there is some hope afterall.

Chris may not mention Vive now, because he is going to focus on the fact that Fellegi is Chief Statistician but didn't know what was going on. I find that highly unlikely and very Paul Martin like -- "I blame my underlings."

Either way though, we should be worried. Either Fellegi is incompetent, meaning we can't take his word when he says he can assure us our information is safe, or Stat Can and Fellegi were dishonest because they told us Lockheed Martin was only handling hardware/software even though that wasn't true of the testing.

Let's just say I ain't cancelling the boycott yet. Obviously Stat Can is VERY worried about opposition to the census, and that is, to a large extent, us.

PS His email is Chris_Read@cbc.ca

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Now call it extreme if you like, but I propose we hit it hard, and we hit it fast, with a major, and I mean major, leaflet campaign.--Rimmer, Red Dwarf

Fellegi announced on CBC Radio this morning that due to Stats receiving over 30,000 emails all Census work in 2006 will be done by Stats Employees (no outside workers). Now we need to make sure that they don't redfine what and who a Stats Employee is.... as they said earlier, anyone who works for a company working for Stas can be considered a Stats 'employee'... but good work!

Douglas

Got an email from Blaikie that lockheed martin is OUT, OUT, OUT, and even for the mini census its OUT.. he mentioned Vive le canada in his email too.. Ill post it here for all to see..

From: bill@billblaikie.ca
Date: 05/07/04 12:51:22
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX@shaw.ca
Subject: Census Contract Changed


House of Commons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lockheed Martin and the Canadian Census
Friday May 7, 2004
Hon. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg—Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, for months the NDP has been objecting to the fact that Statistics Canada contracted out the next census to Lockheed Martin. Questions in the House resulted in the usual non-answers, but I am pleased to say that as a result of our pursuing this issue and the pressure exerted by all those Canadians who contacted Statistics Canada, we learned earlier this week that Lockheed Martin will no longer be doing the next census. As a result of further pressure later in the week, the remaining role of Lockheed Martin in the mini census was also identified and then dealt with, which is to say eliminated.

Hats off to the Vive le Canada website and to all those who persuaded Statistics Canada that the integrity of the census was at stake. It is one thing to buy software from a company. It is another thing to have it do what Canadians want done in-house by their own Statistics Canada.

The NDP is pleased to have played a role in changing this policy by working with its extra-parliamentary friends on this issue. Unfortunately, as usual, the Liberals never got it and did nothing to help.


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From: bill@billblaikie.ca
Date: 05/07/04 12:51:22
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@shaw.ca
Subject: Census Contract Changed


House of Commons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lockheed Martin and the Canadian Census
Friday May 7, 2004
Hon. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg—Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, for months the NDP has been objecting to the fact that Statistics Canada contracted out the next census to Lockheed Martin. Questions in the House resulted in the usual non-answers, but I am pleased to say that as a result of our pursuing this issue and the pressure exerted by all those Canadians who contacted Statistics Canada, we learned earlier this week that Lockheed Martin will no longer be doing the next census. As a result of further pressure later in the week, the remaining role of Lockheed Martin in the mini census was also identified and then dealt with, which is to say eliminated.

Hats off to the Vive le Canada website and to all those who persuaded Statistics Canada that the integrity of the census was at stake. It is one thing to buy software from a company. It is another thing to have it do what Canadians want done in-house by their own Statistics Canada.

The NDP is pleased to have played a role in changing this policy by working with its extra-parliamentary friends on this issue. Unfortunately, as usual, the Liberals never got it and did nothing to help.


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