Stephen Harper aims to give big corporate buds a monopoly on info

[marmar]

from NOW Toronto:



Making no census
Harper aims to give big corporate buds a monopoly on info

By Wayne Roberts


“Too much information.” Everyone likes to say it, but the phrase has actually become the slogan of the most conservative of the industrial world’s governments.

The ruckus over the Harper Conservatives’ refusal to make answering the long-form census mandatory has both bewildered and heartened me.

Despite the fact that it’s relatively unknown senior planners and civil servants who are fighting the decision, the importance of gathering numbers on info related to the lifestyle and well-being of citizens is now widely recognized.

Know-nothingism is not catching.

Still, it’s a fact that Harper is putting the privatization of public information back on the Conservative agenda – which could profoundly limit the role and capacity of governments to intervene effectively in social and economic planning.

I went for a long walk along one of Prince Edward Island’s classic beaches with my friends and hosts, Walt and Alison, recently, and we found ourselves chatting about the census. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=176765