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Re: Good information comes at a price

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July 15, 2010

VIA E-MAIL Letters@globeandmail.com

Letter to the Editor
The Globe and Mail
444 Front Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2S9

Good decisions need good information

I share your concerns about deleting the census long form. In “Count me in!”, our new guide to collecting human rights-based data, the OHRC identifies this information as a vital starting point for organizations working to eliminate barriers for their workers and their customers. It is hard to solve problems or run a successful business or make a good policy without all of the information – yet that is exactly what is being proposed with these changes.

Under Canada’s human rights legislation, there is a legal duty to offer inclusive and equitable opportunities for everyone in areas like education, employment, housing, health care, etc. Without good data we can’t measure how well we are doing or how we can improve. Canada needs the data that the mandatory long form census provides.

Yours truly,
Barbara Hall, B.A, LL.B, Ph.D (hon.)
Chief Commissioner

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