Tempests in a Libertarian Teapot

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, which has been leading the charge against mostly unidentified “inter-provincial trade barriers,” is now posting complaints about the “intrusive” census long form.

Are different-sized cream containers in various provinces and having to spend 20 minutes filling out a form once every couple of decades really the worst problems facing libertarians in Canada? If so, it seems that they do not have much to complain about.

6 comments

  • I’m envisioning an editorial cartoon. In the foreground, an economist is holding two different-sized ice cream containers and saying, “We’ve got to stop this senseless over-regulation of society. It’s an outrage.” In the background, a line of riot police is charging G-20 protestors. Too bad I can’t draw.

  • “Are different-sized cream containers in various provinces and having to spend 20 minutes filling out a form once every couple of decades really the worst problems facing libertarians in Canada?”

    You forgot about the right to a polygamous marriage.

  • Well, as long as they report all of their wives in the census.

  • I see the Quebec government has done its’ bit to drop interprovincial barriers …. you can now buy coloured margarine in that province.

    Now awaiting an economic miracle. It certainly changed my life.

  • Yes, as I predicted at the time, Quebec’s decision to allow margarine coloured to look like butter prompted the barrier-busters to instead focus on cream containers.

  • I do not understand those libertarians who want a less accurate census data gathering technique to be used. From their perspective, having an active government is bad enough. Why have one which is active and making mistakes due to bad data?

    Furthermore, the data is rendered anonymous and held by a body accountable to us.

    I’d think they’d be more concerned about the private data police in Toronto gathered from lala those illegal arrests during the G20.

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