Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Undoing The Damage

During this 'interregnum' period, I have felt less inclined to write my blog; with the incoming government yet to make its mark, and the outgoing one something I prefer to think about as little as possible, I don't have as much to say as usual. Nonetheless, things are undoubtely happening beneath the public radar, and it seems that one of the first orders of business facing Mr. Trudeau and his cabinet will be repairing some of the extensive damage done by the Harper regime.

In the following excerpt from Power Play, law professor Carrisima Mathen discusses some of those issues:



Over at The Star, Bruce Camion Smith writes about restoring the mandatory long-form census, which will surely be a triumph of knowledge over the ignorance and ideology so firmly embraced by the out-going regime:
...the Liberal platform outlined a commitment to “immediately restore” the mandatory long-form census “to give communities the information they need to best serve Canadians.

“Without accurate and reliable data, Canada’s communities cannot plan ahead,” vowed the Liberal platform, which also committed to make Statistics Canada “fully independent.’

According to a Liberal source, the new government intends to act on its long-form census pledge soon after taking office Wednesday.
The mandatory long-form census, replaced by a voluntary one included in the 2011 National household Survey, is crucial both for government and business planning:
The 61-question long-form census — sent to one in five households –— included questions on language, aboriginal heritage, ethnicity, education, employment and commuting habits and was meant to provide greater insight into the country and its citizens.

The responses to those questions — and the trends revealed from one census to the next — helped public officials plan infrastructure and urban services and give private businesses insight into their customers.
While the Trudeau government will undoubtedly face many challenges in the weeks, months and years ahead, quickly undoing some of the damage done by Harper and his acolytes will send a powerful message to all Canadians that there is indeed a new sheriff in town.

2 comments:

  1. Like you, Lorne, I am nearing a point of intellectual fatigue in the wake of Harper's ouster. Yes there is much for Trudeau to do, most of it can be handled administratively and sped through Parliament. Maybe we should go fishing for a few months and come back refreshed. I'd like to take off into the desert but I don't think I can get away this year.

    I'm trying to recall how long it took before most of us came to really despise Harper. It took a while and he was an arrogant, manipulative bastard. I think JT might have a longer grace period, especially with the Tories and NDP in disarray.

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    1. This would seem to be a propitious time to ease up, Mound. I think I will consider things on a daily basis for now, and at the end of November I am taking a week off, as we are heading to Cuba to a place we visited back in 2010. Presumably the country can carry on in my absence. ;)

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