Greetings All. I have just finished tabulating the latest batch of Census petitions for the House of Commons. The total I will be presenting to MP Murray Calder during the coming week is an additional 2565 signatures. The provincial totals are as follows: Previous Current Total BC 1191 753 1944 AB 4915 396 5311 SK 536 140 676 MN 149 112 261 ON 1121 648 1769 PQ 304 244 548 NB 337 55 392 NS 384 136 400 PE 60 39 99 NF 166 42 208 YT 7 00 14 NT 00 00 00 NUN 00 00 00 ========================= Totals 9170 2565 11735 Additionally, I have 393 signatures for the Senate and 4 non-resident signatures I will be sending to Muriel. With the totals of 10,782 signatures for the Senate that Muriel posted recently, the total number of signatures collected since the Federal election is now 23,004. Signatures gathered during the last administration on petitions, letters, email, and submissions to the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records are estimated to be in excess of 16,000. We have not gathered anywhere near the numbers of signatures on petitions protesting the gun laws brought in during the last parliament, but our numbers are growing. Petitions are still needed, as are letters and email to MPs, Senators and Ministers Tobin and Copps. We have not succeeded in our goal yet, and we must not become complacent, thinking that the battle is over and done with. It will not be so until we have regained the public access to Post 1901 Census Records on the same basis as we have for Census Records up to and including 1901. A word of caution regarding the petitions. A relatively small number of signatures that have been sent in will likely be disqualified by the government scrutineers. The reasons for this range from having signatures on a piece of foolscap that does not have the 'prayer' of the petition at the top; changes made to the wording of the petition - particularly to the 'prayer'; extra sections (not having the 'prayer' on it) taped or stapled to petition form; and not using the proper petitions, i.e. non-residents using the resident forms, and vice-versa. The government has specific rules regarding petitions and disregarding them causes signatures or whole petitions to be voided. As indicated this affects a relatively small number of signatures that may be lost, but we do not wish to lose any. We have received a number of petitions containing only a single signature. While we are grateful for all signatures, even singles, we would encourage everyone to gather at least a few extras before sending them in. For those who have been concerned that I would be walking the streets of Ottawa without a hotel room on Tuesday, I received confirmation today that I now have a room for Tuesday in addition to the previous booking for Wednesday to Saturday. So no walking the streets for me, except that necessary to attend the Senate Hearing meetings, deliver the petitions to MP Murray Calder, and visit Senator Milne. I am looking forward the the Senate Hearings on Bill S-12. Like many things since I became interested in regaining public access to Census records, it will be a new experience for me. I hope that I can live up to expectations. I look forward to seeing National Archivist Ian Wilson and fellow panelist Chad Gaffield, one of the Expert Panel appointed by John Manley, both of whom I met briefly on my trip to Ottawa in March. Having the Senate Committee pass, and hopefully recommend acceptance of Bill S-12 is just one more step in the process. If they do so it will still have to pass third reading in the Senate. Having passed the Senate it must then receive first and second reading in the House of Commons, pass a review by a House Committee with their recommendations to accept, and finally pass third reading in the House of Commons. Having passed in both Houses it will receive Royal Assent and become law, giving us the access to Historic Census Records that we seek -- assuming that somewhere in the process described amendments have not been made that would nulify the intent of the Bill. Having the government accept Bill S-12 as a government Bill would likely assure it's passing. I will report on the proceedings of the Senate Committee hearings later in the week. Happy Hunting. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee Port Coquitlam, BC http://globalgenealogy.com/Census en francais http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm