Statscan’s chief economic analyst quits
Statistics Canadas chief economic analyst has quit, citing concern that internal debate at the agency is being stymied.
Philip Cross made his name as a straight-shooting analyst who scrutinized Canadas economic cycles through recessions and recoveries and put them into historical context.
In an interview, he cited several reasons for the departure. For one, Statscans recent move to make data available for free on its website starting Feb. 1 will now allow him to access data, crunch the numbers and analyze economic trends on his own.
Dismay over handling of the changes to the long-form census is another key reason, he said. Mr. Cross is concerned that the free exchange of ideas at the agency is diminishing, and that internal dissent is no longer being tolerated by senior managers particularly when it comes to discussions about the 2011 census and new national household survey.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/statscans-chief-economic-analyst-quits/article2323013/