Statistics Canada Chief Quits, Says Agency is ‘Compromised’

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The chief of Statistics Canada, Wayne Smith, has resigned from his position to bring attention to the fact that the independence of his agency is compromised by the new information-technology arrangements. This the second time a statistical chief has resigned in over six years. An email sent by Smith to the National Statistical Council explained that Shared Services Canada now holds an effective veto over many of the statistical agency’s operations.

In his remarks, Smith stressed that he can no longer support the federal initiatives to centralize IT services that effectively undermine the independence of Statistics Canada, which the federal government has committed to protect. He explained that “all of you are aware of my view that this loss of independence and control is not only an apprehension, but an effective reality today, as Statistics Canada is increasingly hobbled in the delivery of its programs through disruptive, ineffective, slow and unaffordable supply of physical informatics services by Shared Services Canada,” adding that “I have made the best effort I can to have this situation remediated, but to no effect. I cannot lend my support to government initiatives that will purport to protect the independence of Statistics Canada when, in fact, that independence has never been more compromised.”

Highlighting the reason for his resignation, Smith wrote that he does not wish to preside over what he describes as the decline of a world-leading statistical office “so I am resigning, in order to call public attention to this situation.”