ONTARIO-L Archives

Archiver > ONTARIO > 2004-03 > 1080591905


From: "Gordon A. Watts" <>
Subject: [ONT] Re: Post 1901 Census - Parliament in recess -- again!
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 12:25:21 -0800
References: <E29D4B770840D51194B10090279CCFEA07AE889C@sen_exchng.sen.ca>


Thanks Jeff.

I was going by memory from the Parliamentary Calendar and had it in mind
that they only sat for one week between the two recesses.

Guess I am not infallible after all. <]:-)

Cheers.

Gordon

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul, Jeff: SEN" <>
To: "Gordon A. Watts" <>; "Canada Census Campaign"
<>
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 10:59 AM
Subject: RE: Post 1901 Census - Parliament in recess -- again!


Actually folks, Parliament IS in session this week. The 2 week Easter
Break does not start until next week.

Jeff Paul
Policy Advisor
Office of the Hon. Lorna Milne

-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon A. Watts [mailto:]
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 1:57 PM
To: Canada Census Campaign
Subject: Post 1901 Census - Parliament in recess -- again!


Greetings All.

Just a quick note to advise that this week and next, Parliament is once
again in recess. Another opportunity to meet with your MP in their
Constituency Office to discuss with them our concerns regarding
regaining public access to Historic Census records, 92 years after
collection.

Addresses for Constituency offices are now on the personal
Correspondence Logs of each MP on the Scoreboards of the Post 1901
Census Project website at the URL following my signature. Access the
Scoreboard and click on the MPs name in the left hand column to access
their Correspondence Log. While there check the current position shown
for your MP.

We seek to regain exactly the same public access -- without conditions
or restrictions -- for records of Census after 1906 that we currently
have for 240 years of records up to that time. We do not seek to gain
something that we have never had. We seek instead to regain the access
to these vital records that has been improperly, and believed illegally,
withheld from us by the Chief Statistician of Canada.

Current legislation, in the form of the Access to Information and
Privacy Acts, and Regulations attached thereto, clearly states that
personal information collected through Census may be provided to any
person or body for purposes of research 92 years after collection. The
National Archives Act clearly states that it is the National
Archivist -- not the Chief Statistician of Canada -- that determines
what government documents are of archival or historical value and that
SHALL be deposited in the National Archives. The National Archivist,
Ian E. Wilson, has determined that records of Census are a National
Treasure and requested care and control of the records in question be
returned to him. His request was refused by Chief Statistician Ivan P.
Fellegi.

Our MPs must be informed that no civil servant -- regardless of how
highly placed -- is above the Laws of Canada. The Chief Statistician
must be directed by the government to obey the Laws of Canada and to
return care and control of Historic Census records to the National
Archivist -- who should have that care and control to begin with.

On 24 January 2003, the government released and placed online scanned
images of the 1906 Census of the Northwestern Provinces. The release
was made with no conditions or restrictions to access. In so doing the
government has conceded that existing legislation allows them to do so.
We expect nothing less for the 1911 National Census -- which should
already have been released -- or for the continued release after 92
years of all subsequent Censuses.

Happy Hunting.

Gordon A. Watts
Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee
Port Coquitlam, BC

http://globalgenealogy.com/Census
en français http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm

Permission to forward without notice is granted.




This thread: