Calling it quits: Head of Canada’s statistics agency resigns abruptly

Expresses concerns over agency’s confidentiality, independence, efficiency

OTTAWA: The head of Canada’s statistics agency resigned in a surprising move over concerns that the agency’s independence is being compromised, making him the second top statistician to quit in recent years.

In an email sent to the members of an independent advisory board, Wayne Smith said he was stepping down as head of Statistics Canada due to concerns about confidentiality and efficiency stemming from changes to the agency’s data infrastructure, said Ian McKinnon, chair of the National Statistics Council, who received the email.

Statistics Canada is responsible for producing major economic data reports on everything from jobs to international trade. In an arrangement under the previous Conservative government, responsibility for Statistics Canada’s informatics infrastructure was transferred to a department that oversees information technology services across the government.

“He felt that losing control of the data infrastructure was incompatible with the continued independence of the agency,” McKinnon said.

McKinnon said that Statistics Canada has also been very concerned that it might not be able to meet release dates, which are typically set about a year in advance. The government agency was criticised earlier this year on technological issues that delayed the release of some economic data reports on its website.

Smith came to the job after Munir Sheikh resigned in 2010 in protest after the previous Conservative government scrapped the long-form census.

Anil Arora, who previously helped run Canada’s census, will become chief statistician as of Monday, replacing Smith, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2016.

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