The uproar over Prime Minister Stephen Harper's political interference in the 2011 mandatory census has "legs" and a deeper impact than the government expected that could influence an election if one is held this fall, pollsters and opposition MPs say.
They tell The Hill Times the order that Statistics Canada replace the mandatory long form of the national census with a voluntary and more costly questionnaire will remind voters of a string of incidents in which his government interfered with the public service—in this case leading to the resignation of the country's chief statistician—since Prime Minister Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) first won power four years ago.
"I wouldn't call it a crisis, but the Conservatives have to watch because it's potentially part of a broader narrative on, what I'll say, them being involved in operational decisions," pollster Nik Nanos said. "I don't think the issue itself is about winner or about loser, I don't think there are very many Canadians who will change their vote on whether there is a long-form census or not that they have a chance, like, two times in their lifetime to fill out. To think that this issue onto itself is going to have a significant impact is just not on."
Source: The Hill Times
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