The intellectual consistency of the Fraser Institute

There are a number of organizations that directly benefit from the census data that is collected by Statistics Canada. Chief among these organizations are the think tanks. Free data makes it cheap and easy for think tanks to gather empirical information to support their conclusions and conduct research. It is partly for this reason that almost every think tank has come out against any reform of the census.

The most important exception is the Fraser Institute. The free market oriented Fraser Institute has supported making the census less intrusive. The Western Standard reported on a letter that the Fraser Institute sent out explaining the reason for this support:

Our rationale for opposing the mandatory long-form census comes down to a core belief that Canadians should not be forced to disclose private and non-essential personal information to the government.

In its current format, the long-form census requires Canadians to complete 40 burdensome pages of intrusive personal questions. Canadians are forced to disclose this information without good cause. The census has simply become a cheap way for academics, economists, and social scientists to get information that should be acquired using market surveys of the kind that are routinely conducted on a voluntary basis.

The Fraser Institute benefits from the census just as every think tank benefits. Yet the Fraser Institute has long been arguing for less government control and individual liberty. The Fraser Institute should be applauded for keeping to their principles even when it runs counter to their own interests.