Dear Editor:
Once again Stockwell Day and the Harper Government are missing the point. They think that by dumbing down the census form they are protecting us from the government. I guess they are forgetting that they ARE the government! Having said that, I actually think we DO need protection from Harper and Day. The irony is, the only way we can protect ourselves from decisions being made by this Conservative government is to maintain the Census Long Form. At least then decisions could be made on facts and not on mindless ideology and pathological political biases. It would be interesting to see what advice the Conservatives received from Statistics Canada on their proposed ”Reform”. Given that the Chief Statistician chose to resign rather than become a political puppet I’m guessing they did not like his we may never know since this government is not known for its openness or transparency (see Afghan Detainee issues).
On an even more serious note, Stockwell Day needs, no, must explain his statement, "…or whether she is a Jew or not? Don’t you find that one even a little bit chilling?” At best, the statement hints of anti-Semitism.
And yet another example of the Conservatives attempting to impose their ideological agenda on government is the recent announcement by Stockwell Day ordering a review of Employment Equity practices within the public service. This is likely to have a negative impact on diversity in the public service, which has always strived to reflect the diverse profile of the population of Canada. Meddling in the hiring practices of the public service proves, once again, that the Harper government and Stockwell Day do not represent the broad, progressive center of Canadian society. Instead of governing for all Canadians, they are trying to change the channel from the census scandal by throwing more pieces of flesh to their most rabid right wing supporters in the form of eliminating employment equity.
Let us not forget that Stockwell Day and his ideological- based views do not necessarily represent the majority of constituents in the riding of Okanagan-Coquihalla!

John Yellowlees
Vice President(Merritt)
Okanagan-Coquihalla Riding Association
Liberal Party of Canada