CBC Virtual Town Hall: Ending the mandatory long census form

Join the CBC's national affairs editor Chris Hall and CBC Politics blogger Kady O'Malley at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, as they host a live virtual town hall forum on the Conservative government's decision to scrap the mandatory long census form.

Chris and Kady will be joined by Nik Nanos, pollster and president of Nanos Research, Roger Gibbins, president and CEO of Canada West Foundation, Laval University economics professor Stephen Gordon and Terrence Watson, associate editor of the Western Standard.

The government announced late last month it would stop sending the mandatory long form in 2011 and replace it with a voluntary national household survey.

Industry Minister Tony Clement and other Conservative ministers have argued that many Canadians complained to them about the intrusiveness of the questions on the long-form census and the threat of fines or jail time if they don't complete it.

But statisticians, researchers, academics, municipalities, religious groups and opposition parties have decried the government's move, arguing it will result in skewed and unreliable data and leave Canada's policy-makers flying blind.

The panel will take your questions on the census and weigh in on the political storm surrounding the government's decision. We will open the discussion window at 1 p.m. ET for you to submit your questions ahead of time.

 Since it is a moderated event, only questions related to the issue will be posted.