The Assault on Statistics Canada Continues
Posted by Andrew Jackson under StatCan.
April 2nd, 2012
Comments: 4
Soon we will live in a world where we lack an empirical basis for policy and political debate, leaving everyone even more free to invent their own facts.
The Globe has a story today on the impact of the Budget.
“Statistics Canada, the national statistics agency, informed its staff late last week that it has been ordered to chop $33.9-million from its planned spending by April 1, 2014.
That’s a cut of roughly 7.5 per cent when compared to Statscan’s estimated budgetary spending for 2012-13, which was previously pegged at $454.7-million
“This reduction will be implemented progressively, beginning with $8.3-million on April 1, 2012, rising to $18.3-million on April 1, 2013, in order to achieve the full reduction by April 1, 2014,” chief statistician Wayne Smith wrote employees last week in a memo.
Mr. Smith acknowledged this will mean job cuts at Statscan – an abandonment of the agency’s no-layoff policy.
“The actions to be taken involve a mixture of new efficiency measures and program reductions. Achieving the required savings will necessarily mean a reduction in Statistics Canada’s work force.”
This story actually understates the extent to which Statscan is bearing the brunt of cuts.
I am reliably informed that the cut is a hefty 9.4% to the review base, well above the average of 6.9% and very close to the maximum 10% scenario which all departments and agencies were required to submit.
Statscan effectively has no choice but to maintain spending on the key surveys if the quality of the labour force survey, the consumer price index and the national accounts is to be maintained. That means that many other surveys will have to be eliminated, or undertaken much less frequently.
Comments
Comment from Robert McClelland
Time: April 2, 2012, 3:54 pm
This isn’t the first cut to StatsCan’s budget either. Harper has been cutting their budget ever since he took power.
Comment from Doc Manderly
Time: April 2, 2012, 8:21 pm
This is to hide the massive unemployment
Comment from Todd
Time: April 4, 2012, 8:15 am
If that were the case, they might just as well be cutting the labour force survey and stuff like it, info that the bourgeois’ planners need.
If StatsCan is really being singled out especially for harsh treatment, it’s more likely because a bunch of people in power are proud anti-intellectuals who don’t see any reason for spending tax-payers’ dollars on them pointy-heads.
Comment from Krish Kahan
Time: April 10, 2012, 7:19 pm
I know someone at Statistica Canada. People there dont have travel, much training or other spendings. As a result, simple cut will lead to job cuts. when other Dept chiefs are slushing their millions of overheads, statcan has nothing. Poor honest guys!
Related articles
- Falling EI Benefits Amid Rising Unemployment (May 23rd, 2013)
- Inflation Collapse Confounds Monetary Hawks (May 17th, 2013)
- Labour Force Participation Below Two-Thirds (May 10th, 2013)
- A Weak Week for Canada’s Economy (April 19th, 2013)
- Today’s Job Numbers: The Bad and The Ugly (April 5th, 2013)
Write a comment