Wednesday, August 11, 2010 11:59 AM Steven Chase Globe and Mail
The Federal Court has agreed to expedite hearings on a requested injunction to halt the scrapping of the mandatory long form census. On Wednesday morning, the court said it will accelerate proceedings and hear arguments by a francophone group opposed to Conservative government's census change on Sept. 27 and 28. The group, the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities of Canada, has been trying to stop the Harper government's census reform. It includes plans to move to a new voluntary survey that statisticians warn will produce a less reliable picture of Canada. The federation has argued that Ottawa's move violates the Official Languages Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It has warned that without reliable data about francophone numbers in Canada, the ability to accurately deliver government services in French could suffer. Federal government lawyers had argued a September hearing would leave them insufficient time to prepare their defence. In a Wednesday order, Madam Justice Roza Aronovitch dismissed this, saying an accelerated hearing wouldn't hurt the government and ruled that the francophone applicants have proven the need for a speedy decision. Ottawa has already begun sending the voluntary long form census to the printer.
"They have demonstrated that the proceedings are urgent, that they will become moot, and that the applicants will lose the opportunity to validly put forth their case, if the demand is not meet and ruled upon in the appropriate schedule," Judge Aronovitch wrote in her order.
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By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Postmedia News August 11, 2010 5:27 PM
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