In the early new millennium Canadian history was being erased by never having been recorded. Against a unified opposition the dominant Conservative party halted the mandatory census, citing privacy concerns.
The decades-long civic research project was recast as optional and no data was collected to match previous census results. It took years for the effects to be felt because the timeframe was so long, but researchers started missing the data, relying on out of date results from past censuses.
We will never get back these years of knowledge even if the census is rescued, meaning we can never accurately assess the effects of Conservative policy on Canadians.
The Harper legacy will be a black hole.
Al Jazeera: What happened when Canada stopped counting its numbers
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