A Saskatoon woman on trial for refusing to fill out the 2006 census insists she should not have to provide information that she fears might be
stolen or used by a company that supplies weapons to the American military. Sandra Finley, 51, is charged under Canada's Statistics Act with
refusing to answer the census questions.
Link to news source
Sandra Finley, a 51 year old woman from Saskatoon Sk (in my backyard) has been charged under Canada's Statistics Act with failure to answer census
questions. She is arguing that she needn't comply with the regulations on the grounds that some of the census data has been outsourced to Lockheed
Martin
The Canada Statistics Act carries a fine of $1000.00 or six months in jail for failure to answer census questions.
Refusal to grant access to records 32. Every person (a) who, having the custody or charge of any documents or records that are maintained in any
department or in any municipal office, corporation, business or organization, from which information sought in respect of the objects of this Act can
be obtained or that would aid in the completion or correction of the information, refuses or neglects to grant access to the information to any person
authorized for the purpose by the Chief Statistician, or (b) who otherwise in any way wilfully obstructs or seeks to obstruct any person employed in
the execution of any duty under this Act is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both. 1970-71-72, c. 15, s. 30.
Canada Statistics Act
Additionally, the Act has a clause allowing for the sharing of census information:
Sharing of information 12. (1) The Minister may enter into an agreement with any department or municipal or other corporation for the sharing of
information collected from a respondent by either Statistics Canada or the department or corporation on behalf of both of them and for the subsequent
tabulation or publication based on that information
.
I cannot say that I've had the opportunity to read the entire Statistics Act (it's not long) but these two clauses jumped out at me.
I have an unsubstantiated report that the Lockheed corporation was commissioned to develop the forms and most likely the data collection and security
system, however I have no source to offer for this.
On her website, Finley offer the following:
I object strenuously to the out-sourcing of the Canadian Census to this corporation. I will not be complicit in the enrichment of Lockheed Martin.
Originally they were to receive more than $20 million dollars for work on the Census. In 2004 the Government of Canada awarded a contract for Lockheed
Martin to look after the health records of the Canadian military. That contract was potentially worth $56 million dollars. I don't know the final
amounts paid to Lockheed. I do not know what other contracts they have with the Government of Canada. I don't believe they would be in Canada except
for the money they get from Canadian tax-payors (me).
link
Interested to hear thoughts
kind regards, Tamale.
