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Alpha Letter 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1306 Toronto ON M5B 1J3 Tel: (416) 595-0006 Fax: (416) 595-0030 E-mail: [email protected] Providing leadership in public health management Brendan Ryan October 16, 2010 Chair, Brant County Board of Health 194 Terrace Hill Street Brantford ON N3R 1G7 Dear Mr. Ryan, Re. Elimination of the Mandatory Long-Form Census On behalf of member Medical Officers of Health, Boards of Health and Affiliate organizations of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) I am writing to respond to your September 24th letter, which urges alPHa to advocate for a reversal of the Canadian Government’s decision to discontinue the mandatory long-form census. As you are likely aware, hundreds of organizations across the country have expressed strong disagreement with this decision, for all of the reasons stated in your letter. Although I am pleased to inform you that alPHa – along with many of our member boards of health - is among them, there is no indication that the Government of Canada intends to reverse its decision. I have attached alPHa’s letter, as well as Minister Clement’s response, which unfortunately repeats the falsehood that the decision was supported by the Chief Statistician. It appears that this issue is unlikely to be resolved through considered advocacy, as the Government has clearly demonstrated its intention to ignore the overwhelming evidence presented by a broad cross section of interests, the advice of its own agencies, and the opinion of the majority of Canadians that the Mandatory Long-Form Census ought to be reinstated. We do hope that further opportunities will present themselves, possibly in the form of unified support for actions in the House of Commons. Thank you for adding Brant’s voice and we will keep you informed of new developments on this issue. Sincerely, Linda Stewart, Executive Director COPY Rt. Hon Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada Hon. Tony Clement, Minister of Industry Hon. Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario Phil McColeman, MP, Brant Dr. Arlene King, Chief Medical Officer of Health (Ontario) Allison Stuart, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health and Long-Term Care 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1306 Toronto ON M5B 1J3 Tel: (416) 595-0006 Fax: (416) 595-0030 E-mail: [email protected] Providing leadership in public health management Honourable Tony Clement July 21, 2010 Minister of Industry C.D. Howe Building 235 Queen Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5 Dear Minister Clement, Re. Discontinuing the Mandatory Long-Form Census Questionnaire On behalf of member Medical Officers of Health, Boards of Health and Affiliate organizations of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) I am writing to express our disagreement with your decision to discontinue the mandatory long-form Canadian Census questionnaire in favour of a voluntary National Household Survey during the 2011 census. For longer than Canada has been a country, the census has provided high quality information about her residents and communities, which has aided policymakers at all governance levels to make well informed policy decisions that are for the good of the Canadian public. The rich data generated have long been used by researchers and analysts to examine societal trends, identify areas of need, inform policy interventions, and demonstrate value for money in the use of public resources. Ontario’s public health units for example are mandated by the Ontario Public Health Standards to undertake population health assessments and surveillance and are specifically required to gather data on socio-demographics including population counts by age, sex, education, employment, income, housing, language, immigration, culture, ability/disability among others. The census is the sole source of much of this required information, and it is in turn applied to planning for effective and efficient delivery of programs and services. It is widely accepted that the census data as reported through Statistics Canada are the gold standard for this type of information, as its mandatory responses and large sample size provide unassailable statistical reliability. This reliability will be severely compromised under a voluntary system, and so in turn will the ability to properly assess the best use of public resources or inform policy responses to address community public health needs. This of course is not limited to public health. Compromising the richest and most reliable source of data we have on the characteristics of the Canadian population – from the national level right down to the individual census tract – compromises the very foundation for making sound decisions about how to best serve the public good at all levels. We are therefore strongly urging you to reverse this short-sighted decision and reinstate the mandatory long-form questionnaire as part of the 2011 Canadian Census. Sincerely, Valerie Sterling President Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Copy: Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada Munir A. Sheikh, Chief Statistician of Canada .
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