’The prime minister’s decision’

The federal government was preparing last December to deal with the "the prime minister’s decision" to do away with the long-form census.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: Less reliable data would "compromise their ability" to determine EI eligibility, assess skills development and retraining, and apply the federal-provincial agreement on labour mobility.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada: "Absence of reliable long-form data will not allow them to effectively manage, evaluate, and measure performance of programs in areas of aboriginal health, housing, education, and economic development."

Citizenship and Immigration Canada: A broad range of programs dealing with selecting and settling immigrants, including a pan-Canadian agreement on foreign credentials would be hit. "A question in the long form on country of educational attainment specifically provides information to support this program."