Greetings All. I copy here FYI a series of communications (or attempted communications) with Justice Minister Anne McLellan relating to our efforts to regain public access to Historic Census Records. It would appear that Ms. McLellan shares the same lack of interest to our concerns as do Industry Minister Brian Tobin and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps. Neither of them respond either. My apologies for the length of this posting. 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 Permission to forward without notice is granted. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon A. Watts" <gordon_watts@telus.net> To: "Anne MCLELLAN - MP" <Mclellan.A@parl.gc.ca> Cc: "Jason KENNEY - MP" <Kenney.J@parl.gc.ca>; "Sheila COPPS - MP" <Copps.S@parl.gc.ca>; "Lorna MILNE - SEN" <milnel@sen.parl.gc.ca>; "Murray Calder - MP" <calder.m@parl.gc.ca> Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 1:14 PM Subject: Lack of response to communications sent in April 2001 Ms. McLellan: I copy below attempts to contact you, in your capacity of Minister of Justice and Attorney General, through email via the address contained on the Justice Canada website, and the responses thereto, from the Website Administrator. I find these responses to be totally inadequate in that they do nothing to assure me that they have actually been directed to your attention. Words are cheap, and these ones apparently mean nothing -- simple mouthings attempting to convince me that my communications have been noted. Further, your lack of response to my concerns and specific questions asked demonstrates to me, and to the many people I represent, just how little you are concerned regarding the common people of Canada -- the ones that voted for you to represent them in Parliament, and the ones who look to you for "Justice". Attempts to contact your office by telephone have been futile. The local office of Justice Canada refuses to forward my call to your office in Ottawa. Local offices of other Federal Government departments will do this, but not Justice Canada. Other Federal Government departments have toll-free numbers to use, but not Justice Canada. Finally calling at my own expense to find what has happened to my correspondences to you, I am transferred from pillar to post before eventually getting someone's voice mail box in which I left a message requesting a call back. More than a week later I am still waiting. In sending you the two email copied below, at the same time I sent identical communications via fax at the number shown on the Justice Canada website, and by Canada Post. I have received neither response, nor acknowledgement to either the fax or letter. I will be sending this message by fax and Canada Post as well. The appearance is that you, or your office, have deliberately made it next to impossible to contact you by any normal means. This is totally unacceptable. You have a responsibility to the people of Canada. They deserve to have their concerns noted and responded to. They deserve to receive more than a one line response from a website administrator. I respectfully request an immediate, and personal, response to the questions and concerns voiced in the communications below. Thank you. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee 1455 Delia Drive Port Coquitlam, BC Tel (604) 942-6889 Fax (604) 942-6843 http://globalgenealogy.com/Census en francais http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "Web Administrator" <Webadmin@JUSTICE.GC.CA> To: "'Gordon A. Watts'" <gordon_watts@telus.net> Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 11:38 AM Subject: RE: Lack of response to communications sent in April 2001 Hello, This confirms receipt of your e-mail. Rest assured that your message will be forwarded to the Minister of Justice. Regards, Web Administrator Justice Canada -----Original Message----- From: Gordon A. Watts [mailto:gordon_watts@telus.net] Sent: 2001 Jun 29 4:15 PM To: ; Anne MCLELLAN - MP Cc: Hon. Brian TOBIN; Jason KENNEY - MP; Sheila COPPS - MP; Lorna MILNE - SEN Subject: Lack of response to communications sent in April 2001 1455 Delia Drive Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 2V9 Hon. Anne McLellan, P.C., M.P. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada 284 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 Dear Ms. McLellan On 9 and 10 April 2001 I sent to you, by email, fax, and Canada Post, correspondence relating to the current review of the Access to Information Act, and my concerns regarding an announcement made 15 December 2000 by Industry Minister Brian Tobin that this review would include "...further broad based consultation with all Canadians..." re: public access to Historic Census Records. In this correspondence I expressed a number of concerns, and asked for specific responses to those concerns. I further requested information that I hoped to obtain informally, but if necessary was prepared to request through ATI. On 24 April 2001, two weeks later, I received an acknowledgement of receipt of my email, stating that I would "...receive a written response from the Minister of Justice." I have attached to this correspondence copies of this acknowledgement of receipt of my email, and my original message to you. To date, now more than two months since sending my correspondences, I have received neither the promised "written response from the Minister of Justice", nor even the courtesy of an acknowledgement of receipt of either my fax or the letter sent by Canada Post. The concerns expressed in my April correspondence, and the information requested of you have also been requested of Industry Minister Brian Tobin. Mr. Tobin has also neglected to either acknowledge my correspondence, or to respond to it. The office of Heritage Minister Sheila Copps has advised me that any correspondence from me will be filed (garbage?) without response. A suspicious person might conclude that there is a conspiracy of silence regarding the "...broad based consultations with all Canadians..." re: public access to Historic Census Records, that do not appear to taking place as announced. I respectfully request an immediate response to the concerns expressed and information requested in my previous correspondence. Sincerely, Gordon A. Watts Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee CC Hon. Brian Tobin; Hon. Sheila Copps; Hon. Lorna Milne, Senator; Murray Calder; MP, Jason Kenney, MP ======================= From: "Web Administrator" < Webadmin@JUSTICE.GC.CA <mailto:Webadmin@JUSTICE.GC.CA> > To: "'Gordon A. WATTS'" < gordon_watts@telus.net <mailto:gordon_watts@telus.net> > Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 6:07 AM Subject: RE: ATI Act Review Task Force and public consultation re: public access to Historic Census Records Good morning, This is to confirm receipt of your message and to assure you that you will receive a written response from the Minister of Justice. Best regards, Web Administrator Justice Canada -----Original Message----- From: Gordon A. WATTS [ mailto:gordon_watts@telus.net <mailto:gordon_watts@telus.net> ] Sent: 2001 Apr 10 3:00 AM Cc: Lorna MILNE - SEN; Jason KENNEY - MP; Murray CALDER - MP; Hon. Brian TOBIN Subject: ATI Act Review Task Force and public consultation re: public access to Historic Census Records 1455 Delia Drive Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 2V9 9 April 2001 Hon. Anne McLellan, P.C., M.P. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada 284 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 Dear Ms. McLellan On 15 December 2000, in conjunction with the long delayed release of the Report of the Expert Panel on Access of Historic Census Records, Industry Minister Brian Tobin submitted a News Release in which he rejected the recommendations made in this Report. The News Release, a copy of which is attached hereto, was dealing with public access to Historic Census Records. Mr. Tobin stated, in relation to this: (emphasis mine) "....further broad based consultation with all Canadians is needed. This consultation will take place as part of the already announced administrative and legislative review of the Access to Information and the Privacy Acts." On 26 March 2001, I participated in a roundtable discussion conducted by the Access to Information Act Review Task Force. Of the seventeen participants in these discussions, four were primarily concerned with public access to Historic Census Records, 92 years after collection, as allowed for in the Privacy Act and its Regulations. We felt that Section 24, and Schedule II of the ATI Act were major impediments to this access. This due to the fact that Section 17 of the Statistics Act is named in Schedule II, thus apparently removing any discretion in allowing control of Census records to be given over to the National Archivist for subsequent release for public access. After considerable discussion, the feeling was unanimous among the participants that public access should be allowed to Historic Census Records, 92 years after collection, as per the Privacy Act and its Regulations. All of this, however, seems to have been for naught. Following the roundtable discussions, we had the opportunity to speak with three members of the ATIA Review Task Force who were in attendance as observers. Those members of the Task Force advised us: * Not to expect much to be said about public access to Historic Census Records in the Final Report of the ATI Act Review Task Force. * A review of, and recommendations regarding, public access to Historic Census Records did not form a part of the mandate of the ATI Act Review Task Force. * Members of the ATI Act Review Task Force had never been advised that a review of, and subsequent recommendations relating to, public access of Historic Census Records should be considered by them. * A review of the Privacy Act was not, and has never been, a part of the mandate of the ATI Act Review Task Force. In considering the above, one might reach the following conclusions: * There is a great lack of communications between the Minister of Industry and yourself as Minister of Justice, and/or between yourself and the members of the ATIA Review Task Force. Or * Someone is not telling the whole truth regarding "broad based consultation with all Canadians" relating to public access of Historic Census Records. It is obvious that such consultation is not, as Mr. Tobin indicated, being done in conjunction with the ATIA Review Task Force. * This consultation is unlikely to take place in any similar exercise relating to the Privacy Act. The only known reference to any review of the Privacy Act was found in a speech you made to the Canadian Bar Association 21 August 2000, where you indicated you had asked "my officials to begin a comprehensive review of the Privacy Act." I would appreciate your personal comments regarding the above. In relation to the above I would seek to obtain any and all documentation, including email, letters, memoranda, notes about conversations, or other, between yourself as Minister of Justice, Justice Canada and the ATIA Review Task Force, and Brian Tobin as Minister of Industry, Dr. Ivan Fellegi, Chief Statistician of Canada, and Statistics Canada, relating to any review of public access to Historic Census Records and the various legislation pertaining thereto. I will, if necessary, request this information through ATI. If possible, however, I would prefer to obtain it informally. I look forward to a response from you at your earliest possible convenience. Thank you. Sincerely, Gordon A. Watts Co-chair, Canada Census Committee CC Hon. Brian Tobin Hon. Lorna Milne Murray Calder, MP Jason Kenney, MP