How does this happen? According to the Ottawa Citizen, the largest defense contractor in the U.S has won the contract to store Canada's census data -- now I'll accept that perhaps there are safe-guards against handing our records over to the Total Information Awareness spooks (and they could just ask the RCMP anyway) but what bugs me is, was there not a single Canadian company up to the challenge?

"Canadians will be involved in the performance of the work because it's a Canadian subsidiary that will be doing it," said Mr. Rock. "The bidding process was carried on in accordance with Public Works (Department) rules and I assume the lowest bidder, for the best price, for the best quality, got the job."

Apparently notand therein the biggest disgrace. And this from a nation Rock claimed only days ago would be among the top-tier of the new innovators for the 21st century ...

[ Source: U.S.-based firm wins contract to store Canada's census data ]