The secret is out - Tories don't use statistics

We don't govern on the basis of statistics,'' Nicholson said. ``We govern on the basis of what we hear from the public and what law enforcement agencies tell us. That has not changed in the four and a half years we've been in government.''

Ugh.. there's the ugly truth. We don't govern on the basis of statistics....says Minister of Justice Nicholson. Only on what we hear from the public. Where does the Minister think the statistics come from? Your own statistical agency, Statistics Canada, asks the public what it thinks and reports it back to you, sir. On crime victimization, they ask 25,000 Canadians if they have been a victim of a criminal incident in the previous 12 months, the type and whether they reported it to police. These 25,000 Canadians are part of a properly constituted random sample that will give you reliable estimates with a degree of precision that can be measured and quantified. This is an infinitely better way of getting a picture of what is going on than relying on the emails and phone calls received in the offices of MPs. As for what the law enforcement agencies tell the government, the Minister should know that every month, every police department in Canada sends the government's very own statistical agency, Statistics Canada, a unified crime report, which provides the number and types of charges laid that month in their jurisdiction, which is the basis of the calculation of the crime rate, with which the Conservatives all seem to disagree. If the Tories intend on governing on the basis of what the law enforcement agencies are telling them, how about keeping the long-gun registry, which I believe is supported by every police force in the country.

Back to statistics, though. The unreported crime story is not a new one. Around two thirds of criminal incidents are not brought to the attention of the police, according to the General Social Survey - Crime Victimization cycle, which has been held every five years since 1988. In 1999, 37% of incidents were reported, in 2004 it was 34%. Perhaps the 2009 surveys results, which will be released in September, show yet another drop and the ministers are privy to this and are setting us up. Nah, I forgot, they don't govern on the basis of statistics. No wonder the "tough on crime" agenda flies in the face of not only the declining crime rate but also of Canadians own perception of their safety from being a victim of crime. In 2004, 94% of Canadians indicated that they were somewhat or very satisfied with their safety from crime, up from 91% in 1999 and 86% in 1993. After four and half years of governance on the basis of gut and ideology rather than facts, it will be interesting to see how Canadians now feel about their personal safety from crime.