It's got to be a slow news day as far as MP Jim Abbott is concerned when an issue over the state of the Canadian census becomes the biggest news story in the land.

But that's the way it has been the past week as politicians and pundits wax forth on the pros and cons of the Harper government's decision to axe the long form census questionnaire.

The Canadian government announced in late June that the traditional long-form census questionnaire would be replaced by a new voluntary National Household Survey (NHS) for the national 2011 Census. This provoked a storm of criticism from many sources and resulted in the resignation last week of Statistics Canada head Munir Sheikh.

But Abbott says the controversy is over-blown. "It's a dog's day summer story . . . and people talking about an election over whether people are going to fill out a long-form census. I just find it absolutely, totally, utterly incredible. It obviously is a very slow news day."

Calling the controversy an attempt to make a mountain out of a molehill, the Kootenay-Columbia Conservative MP says another agenda is behind criticism of the government's decision to scrap the long-form census survey.

"I think people are looking to find something controversial about the excellent management of the Canadian economy and everything the government is doing right. People are having to strive for the most extreme stories to make a mountain out of a mole hill."

The only thing that has changed is the federal government is no longer making filling out of the long-form census survey mandatory for some Canadians, Abbott says.

Critics, including Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff, claim if the long form census is scrapped, government will lose valuable information it needs for long-term planning and putting together the budget. Industry will also lose access to information it needs for planning and marketing decisions, the critics claim.

But Abbott doesn't see it that way. "We are keeping the long-form census so that there will be that data and we're taking away the compulsory aspect of having to reveal personal aspects of a person's life that a person doesn't want to reveal."

The veteran MP, who's announced he's not going to run in the next federal election, said the census controversy is not finding any traction among constituents in his Kootenay-Columbia riding.

"We've had one telephone call and the person was exasperated with people trying to make a story about nothing and that was our one telephone call." Nor have any of his constituents expressed concerns about the census to him in the past, he says.

Abbott says just because it's mandatory to fill out a form it doesn't mean people will necessarily be truthful. In fact, out of resentment, they may be quite the contrary. So the information that comes from a form where coercion was involved may be suspect, he says.

"People who are voluntarily giving information, which is what will be happening, that information is likely going to be more accurate that information from people being coerced."

Abbott says the whole controversy is a summer time tempest in a teapot.

"The bottom line of the exercise is are people satisfied with the job we are doing with the economy, criminal justice reform and everything else? And overwhelmingly, people are absolutely in favour of what they are getting from our government.

"So they have to make up something" (to cause controversy)

Abbott adds he doubts if very many Canadians would favour having an election over the census. Despite this both the Quebec provincial government and the Ottawa city government say eliminating the long-form census survey will make basic government planning more difficult and more expensive.