OTTAWA– Industry critic Geoff Regan made the following statement today reacting to the resignation of Statistics Canada’s chief economic analyst:
“The news that Philip Cross, Statistics Canada’s chief economic analyst, has quit over this Conservative government’s decision to kill the mandatory long-form census is deeply concerning.
When someone of Mr. Cross’ experience and expertise resigns because internal debate at the agency is stymied it damages the credibility and reputation of Statistics Canada. Sadly, this is not the first time StatsCan has suffered such a blow. In 2010, Chief Statistician Munir Sheikh resigned for similar reasons.
It is clear that the Harper Conservatives don’t put any stock in scientific evidence when developing policy, but the fact that we are continuing to lose the expertise of people like Mr. Cross and Mr. Sheikh is a disservice to Canadians everywhere.”
