Hard to get

On July 26, after the National Statistics Council had publicly tabled a proposed solution to the census dispute, NSC president Ian McKinnon told Postmedia that the NSC had been trying for two weeks, without success, to meet with Industry Minister Tony Clement. The next day, Mr. Clement told the industry committee that "if others have other ideas that could help animate this discussion, we’re willing to listen to them."

Two weeks later, the NSC released another statement, outlining its reaction to recent government changes and concluding that it "stands ready to assist" the minister and the government. Mr. Clement responded with his own statement, which concluded, "I value the expertise of the members of the Council and look forward to working with them in the future.”

As of this afternoon, no meeting had taken place or been scheduled, so just now, in a new release, the NSC "welcomes" the minister’s acknowledgment of their expertise and renews its request for a meeting.