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[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.