StatsCan

Records deleted, burned, tossed in Dumpsters. A Maclean’s investigation on the crisis in government data

Editorial: Canada’s record on infant mortality is encouraging

Statistics Canada has revised three decades worth of data in its System of National Accounts, implementing new standards set out in 2009 by international entities including the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. The revision resulted in “no substantial change” to estimates of Canada’s GDP and was aimed at giving “a more comprehensive picture of the Canadian economy,” the agency writes.

The crime rate is down but police forces are growing. We’re poorer as a result, but not necessarily any safer.

The objections to the census on Biblical grounds are now a thing of the past; the objections on the ground that the census is inquisitorial have also, there is good reason to believe, gradually lost their force… it is now agreed among all civilized nations that a census is a useful and desirable thing.

While Tony Clement continues to try to defend his department’s census changes, Stephen Gordon tallies the potential damage done.

Stephen Gordon expands on his concerns about government changes to the census.

The government has announced, on the grounds of “personal privacy,” a rather important change to the census. Stephen Gordon, in response, is scathing.

CBC’s Power & Politics reported this evening—available at the 24:30 mark here—on a study of current and projected prison spending by the Conservative government. To discuss the findings, the CBC turned—starting at the 28:40 mark—to a panel of MPs, including Conservative Shelly Glover. Ms. Glover, a former police officer, first suggested that “numbers can be skewed any which way you want, depending on who’s doing them.” She did, though, concede that spending will increase. Host Evan Solomon then moved on to Liberal Mark Holland and New Democrat Joe Comartin.

In the money: Or at least that’s what Fox is hoping for this fall with its new strategy of shrinking commercial break time on two new shows—Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (pic, left) and Fringe by J.J. Abrams. In an effort to keep viewers from flipping, the dramas will run 50 minutes long, instead of the standard 42 to 44 minutes. Reportedly, Fox will charge a premium on the remaining ad minutes to make up the difference. There is, however, one tiny problem with this plan: it does nothing to combat the millions of us out there with PVRs and TIVOs who simply fast-forward through all the ads.