CONTENTS
(1) COMMENTS
(2) FOLLOW-UP ON 2006 CANADIAN CENSUS, CONTRACTED OUT TO LOCKHEED-MARTIN
(2a) Copy of Expense Claims from 2nd in command at StatsCan, 2009 and 2010: Lockheed Martin provides the “steerage” for the Census operations
(3) RELATED STORY: CTV NEWS, NOV 23, ANGRY CANADIAN PAYS OFF VISA BILL WITH PENNIES
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(1) COMMENTS
In April-May 2004 we participated in the huge backlash by Canadians against Government plans to contract 2006 census work out to Lockheed-Martin, American “company with a military orientation”.
2006 is fast approaching. The letter below from Ivan P. Fellegi, Chief Statistician of Canada, emphasizes that only 20% of the work will be done by Lockheed-Martin.
Just as it is odious to me when the Government enters into contractural arrangements with companies with a history as corrupt as that of Monsanto, it is repugnant to me when my tax dollars are used to enrich corporations tied to the American war machine.
Aside from the question of “with whom do we do business?” is the question of access to Canadian information held by American companies given to the American Government through their Patriot Act.
The second article (“Angry Canadian … ) is related.
I am wondering whether we are heading into non-compliance with the Census, similar to non-compliance with the gun registry? If so, it need not have been the case: Canadians were loud and clear that out-sourcing of the census is not wanted. Acceptable censuses have been carried out in the past and can be done again without contracting out. They may not be state-of-the-art but there are other over-riding considerations that Canadians insist upon, like morality.
And all of that is related to a written submission I will make to the “Smart Regulations” public consultation process and circulate to you in the next day or two.
Cheers!
Sandra
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(2) FOLLOW-UP ON 2006 CANADIAN CENSUS CONTRACTED OUT TO LOCKHEED-MARTIN, LETTER FROM CANADA’S CHIEF STATISTICIAN
http://www.canadaka.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1648
Remember the 2006 census by US company? Well…….
I received a response to my email.
(INSERT: this is off the internet and not me, Sandra, speaking.)
It’s a generic form response but I’ll share it anyways and you all can tell me what info you derived from it.
Cut and pasted directly from my email box,
Letter from Ivan P. Fellegi, Chief Statistician of Canada:
Statistics Canada would like to clarify and provide additional information concerning the contracting out portion of the 2006 Census with private industry. First of all, I would like to emphasize that only 20% of the work for the 2006 Census will be contracted out while the remaining 80% is being done by Statistics Canada. The distribution, collection, follow-up and storage of questionnaires will be done strictly by Statistics Canada.
Important improvements and significant changes in the way census data are collected and captured are required for the 2006 Census. These changes will move the census from what is now a highly decentralised, manual collection operation, to a more centralised and automated approach while addressing the issues of privacy, security, confidentiality and the provisions of an Internet response option for Canadians. However, these and other improvements require the implementation of a very complex logistics and control system.
Why did we decide to contract out a portion of the software development for the 2006 Census? Simply because, after a painstaking review, we concluded that we lacked the expertise needed. The 2006 Census clearly has to offer the option of Internet filing of census returns, and this has to be integrated with the traditional paper filing option which, of course, must also be offered. Further complicating the logistics is the fact that we will be mailing, for the first time, the census questionnaires to about 65% of all households in Canada. This, together with the need to know at all times who completed and who did not their census forms (in order to initiate timely follow-up of those who did not do so) leads to exceptionally complex logistics.
Traditionally census returns have been key-entered but that option will no longer be available in 2006. As a result, it will be necessary to introduce the scanning of the paper returns into the 2006 Census – and, again, integrate all of that with the Internet-filed returns. The complexity of these highly technical operations was entirely outside our range of past experience. When one considers the fact that the census must go almost flawlessly (because we do not have a second chance), it became abundantly clear that contracting out was the only realistic option. In addition to the technical complexities, we also conducted a very thorough cost benefit analysis of the “buy or make” option, to determine the appropriate approach for undertaking the significant systems development and operational activities required for the 2006 Census. The factors considered included cost, timeliness, integration, risk and the availability of resources/expertise and while not the only factor in our decision, the business case was clearly in favour for the private sector. Incidentally, the same conclusion was reached not only by our US counterpart, but also by the Office of National Statistics in the UK for their census systems development and processing activities.
After a lengthy consultation process with industry, proposals were invited by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) through a Request for Proposal (RFP). Critical security and confidentiality requirements were built into the RFP to ensure the protection of census returns. Indeed, these safeguards will be even higher in 2006 than they were in 2001 or in earlier censuses.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization Agreement regulations that governed this procurement, non-Canadian based firms were eligible to submit a bid. All of the bidders were Canadian firms, although several were US owned. The evaluation of proposals was very rigorous, with no opportunity for biasing the results either in favour of, or against, any one bidder. In addition, an independent fairness monitor certified that the selection process followed the terms of the RFP and that the process was fair and objective to all bidders. Through this process, PWGSC awarded the contract to Lockheed Martin Canada Inc. to carry out activities in support of the 2006 Census. The firm will be leading a consortium consisting of IBM Canada and Transcontinental Printing Inc. Canada and ADECCO Employment Services Ltd Canada.
Lockheed Martin specifically has a successful track record in developing and implementing solutions in a census context and has access to international expertise based on lessons learned in the United States and United Kingdom censuses. Statistics Canada is capitalizing on this existing experience and investment.
Statistics Canada will maintain full control of all aspects of the census.
Indeed, the data collected from Canadians will, at all times, be under the care and full control of Statistics Canada and everyone working on the census will, as always, be subject to the provisions and penalties of the Statistics Act. Only census agents who are sworn to secrecy under the Statistics Act – and subject to considerable penalties should their oath be violated (including imprisonment of up to six months) – will have access to individual census information. Career employees will at all times be in charge of every aspect of census operations
All contractors will be security screened, and sworn in under the Statistics Act. As such, they will become Statistics Canada employees, subject to all the sanctions of the Act.
Stringent safeguards will be in place to ensure that only information required for the processing operation is accessible by the contractor. The census processing site will be strictly isolated from external networks, so unauthorised transmission of census data would be physically impossible. In addition, all sites will be subject to 24-hour supervision by our career employees. Needless to say, data will never be processed or stored outside the country. Processed data will be stored at Statistics Canada premises.
Statistics Canada has a well-earned reputation for quality statistics, which in turn depends on the trust of Canadians. It would never endanger that reputation by exposing to the slightest risk the confidential data that its respondents provide – let alone exposing it to access by any foreign country. The confidentiality of 2006 Census returns will be as stringently guarded as in the past; in fact, technology allows us to implement even better safeguards. We are ready to expose our plans to any expert scrutiny.
Ivan P. Fellegi
Chief Statistician of Canada
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(2a) Copy of Expense Claims from 2nd in command at StatsCan, 2009 and 2010: Lockheed Martin provides the “steerage” for the Census operations
EXPENSE CLAIMS TELL A STORY
From http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/about/expense/petermorrison/2010
Morrison, Peter, Assistant Chief Statistician
Travel expenses – 2010
| Date | Purpose | Cost |
| January 28, 2010 | ARCHIVED – Lockheed Martin Steering Committee Meeting | $909.88 |
| September 22, 2010 | ARCHIVED – Corporate Business Architecture presentation to Regional Offices | $1,523.32 |
| October 11, 2010 | ARCHIVED – Participate at the 2010 Meeting of the International Census Forum and Lockheed Martin Senior Management Steering Committee Meeting | $2,062.94 |
| October 21, 2010 | ARCHIVED – Corporate Business Architecture presentation to Central Regional Office and visit to Regional Census Centre | $1,128.14 |
From http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/about/expense/petermorrison/2009
Morrison, Peter, Assistant Chief Statistician
Travel expenses – 2009
| Date | Purpose | Cost |
| June 17, 2009 | ARCHIVED – To visit the Regional Offices in Vancouver and Edmonton | $1,478.68 |
| June 22, 2009 | ARCHIVED – To attend the Steering Committee Meeting with Lockheed Martin and visit the United States Data Processing Centre (DPC) site | $1,262.61 |
| August 10, 2009 | ARCHIVED – EX interviews | $684.78 |
| September 7, 2009 | ARCHIVED – International Census Forum 2009 | $4,369.27 |
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(3) CTV NEWS, NOV 23, ANGRY CANADIAN PAYS OFF VISA BILL WITH PENNIES
(INSERT: The “angry Canadian” is Don Rogers who later put up the website “Count Me Out” to help coordinate information and support for opposition to Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Canadian census. You will find references to his work in later postings.)
Al Taylor writes: An interesting story … worth checking out where your credit card is processed.
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Angry retiree pays off Visa bill with pennies
Don Rogers shows off his Visa bill to Canada AM on Wednesday from CTV’s bureau in Ottawa.
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Wed. Nov. 23 2005 8:59 AM ET
When Don Rogers found out that his bank had outsourced its credit card processing to a U.S. company — potentially, he believes, putting his personal information at risk — he decided to do something about it.
The 62-year-old retired city councilor from Kingston, Ont., paid his $230 Visa bill with Citizens Bank of Canada in 985 installments — often pennies at a time — in protest.
Rogers was worried that by allowing a U.S. company to review all his purchases, U.S. authorities could gain access to his personal information under the Patriot Act, a controversial piece of legislation that the U.S. hopes will help them crack down on terrorism but that has privacy advocates worried.
“This has huge implications for privacy of Canadians,” Rogers told CTV’s Canada AM Wednesday, “because once your personal data enters the United States, it becomes subject to American law.
“The Patriot Act could kick in and your information could be forcibly turned over to the American government.”
Rogers complained to his bank, but didn’t like the response.
“They were very pleasant at first and sympathetic. But as I refused to let go of the issue, their position hardened somewhat.”
When the bank refused to stop outsourcing their Visa billing processing to a company in Georgia, Rogers decided to fight back.
“I usually pay my credit card statement with one payment each month, transferring it by Internet from my bank account to my Visa account,” he explained.
“And I thought well, hey, what would happen if I transferred one cent?
So I tried it and it went through. So what I did was basically pay off a large part of my Visa in one cent and five-cent, nickel dime payments.”
The result was a payment statement that grew to 35 pages long and a half-inch thick.
“It came with a heck of a thump through the letter slot,” Rogers laughs.
The maneuver created a huge headache for accounting personnel at Citizens Bank and generated a phone call from the bank’s information technology department.
“I told the guy, ‘Well, I’m trying to get your bank president’s attention. He said ‘You have got his attention’.”
Rogers has also gotten the attention of a number of news outlets who have pressing him for interviews – much to his satisfaction.
“It is gratifying that the little guy can fight the big corporations and make an impact.”
Rogers says he still isn’t sure whether his stunt is going to make his bank change its policy. He’s given them until Jan. 1, 2006, to return their payment processing back to Canada.
“The way it was left about a week ago, the last discussion I had with the bank’s vice-president in charge of Visa was that they would be back to me shortly and we declared a temporary truce. So I’m waiting to hear from them.”
Rogers jokes that the moral of the story is: don’t mess with a retiree
— “retired folks are dangerous. We have time on our hands” – but he believes that other Canadians should be asking the kinds of questions he asked.
“Most Canadian credit card holders have no idea whether their personal data regularly goes down to the United States. They should ask their bank. It’s a legitimate question to ask.”
And it you don’t like the answer, try the “Rogers one cent solution”, he recommends.
“I think Canadians have to speak up. There’s Canadian sovereignty involved.”
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