How Census-Gate Will Change Canada

Harper has the opportunity to show real statesmanship when choosing who will replace Munir Sheikh as the head of Statistics Canada.

On July 21, three weeks after the government’s quiet announcement of the decision to replace the mandatory long-form census questionnaire with a voluntary survey, Chief Statistician Munir Sheikh quit. He submitted a sober and elegant letter of resignation to the prime minister who appointed him, and to whom he is accountable.

Within hours Tony Clement, the minister responsible for Statistics Canada, responded with a short and resolute statement, which could be summed up as saying “Thanks. Next.” It finished thus: “Until a permanent successor can be found Wayne Smith, Assistant Chief Statistician, Business and Trade Statistics, will act on an interim basis.”

A month has passed. The time has come to find that permanent successor to Munir Sheikh.

Fortunately, the prime minister has already developed an appropriate model to select the next chief statistician of Canada. He could use the same process employed to select David Johnston as the next Governor General.

There are many ways to view the legacy of Prime Minister Harper thus far, but few offer evidence that the processes and institutions of democracy are held with any esteem. The selection of Johnston is one such rare example.

The process was, notably, an invention of the Prime Minister. Creative and well-suited to the serious task at hand, Harper’s chosen approach took political hands off the wheel, both in optics and in substance.

He named a committee of six eminent persons, each of whom understood the nature of the office and duties of the Governor General: Kevin MacLeod, Usher of the Black Rod and Canadian secretary to the Queen; Sheila-Marie Cook, secretary to the Governor General; Father Jacques Monet of the Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies; Christopher Manfredi, dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill; University of Calgary political scientist Rainer Knopff; and historian Christopher McCreery, private secretary to the lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia.

They were charged with developing a short list of candidates to be considered by the prime minister, who would – as is the tradition – provide his advice to the Queen, who would – as is also the tradition – appoint Canada’s new Governor General based on this advice.

The selection committee consulted with over 200 people as to who best would fit the requirements of the office in today’s politically charged environment. Among those approached were premiers, former prime ministers, and the two opposition leaders – Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton.

At the end of this process, the name at the top of the list was David Johnston – dean of law at the University of Western Ontario, long-time principal of McGill University, former president of the University of Waterloo, and one of Canada’s most respected advocates for higher education. Harper chose Johnson and his acceptance of this tacit recommendation set off broad-based murmurs of approval.

The importance of this decision-making process cannot be overstated, for three reasons: 1) the high regard with which the current office holder, Michaëlle Jean, is held; 2) the unusually important role the Governor General has played in state affairs in the past two years, acceding to the request of the prime minister to prorogue Parliament twice in as many years; and 3) a minority government that has mostly governed as if it holds a majority of seats, producing fractious politics in the wake of unusually bold measures and frequent episodes of brinksmanship.

The census affair is emblematic of just this type of maverick behaviour, and would benefit from a show of statesmanship by the prime minister .

Indeed, the process chosen by Prime Minister Harper to select Johnston is very close to the process suggested by former chief statistician, Ivan Fellegi, almost immediately after Sheikh’s resignation.

A group of eminent persons, both national and international, with thorough knowledge of the role of a statistical agency, could provide a highly transparent and visible search process to re-establish the integrity, authority, and independence of Statistics Canada.

The committee should include representation from the National Statistics Council, the Statistical Society of Canada, and from an international body that relies heavily on statistics, such as the OECD or UN. It could lean on former clerks of the Privy Council or governors of the Bank of Canada, all of whom need census data to do their work. Fellegi himself would be a great choice too, given his unimpeachable credentials, international standing, and over 50 years of service with Statistics Canada, over 20 years of which were as chief statistician.

A good selection process would be a solid step towards resolving what has turned into a drama of Shakespearian proportions, a midsummer night’s nightmare for politicians and everyday Canadians alike. It should be launched immediately. And Stephen Harper should be the one to announce it.