Provinces are pushing back over the Harper government's controversial decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census, warning the move will undermine the accuracy of budget decisions and erode the ability to direct social programs to the most vulnerable.

The Ontario government is calling on Ottawa to reverse itself, saying in a letter to Statistics Canada that it is troubled such a significant decision was taken without consulting the provinces and territories. "This is likely to have negative, long-term consequences for some government programs," Ontario's deputy finance minister Peter Wallace warns.

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