Greetings All. I copy below for your interest a letter sent yesterday to the editor of The National Post in response to an article by Meagan Fitzpatrick. The letter has been acknowledged with a note that it will be considered for publication. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-chair, Canada Census Committee Port Coquitlam, British Columbia Read my column, 'Gordon Watts Reports' at http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/authors/authgw.htm ========================================= 15 March 2007 Editor. The National Post. Re: "More than half of Canadians willing to share information" In her 14 March article Meagan Fitzpatrick stated "The 2006 Census, for the first time, gave Canadians the opportunity to choose to have their census information made available to the public in 92 years..." The implication of this statement is that never before in the history of Canada has information from Census been made available to the public. Unfortunately, Ms. Fitzpatrick, along with the general public, has been misled by information provided by Statistics Canada. In actual fact, for the first time in history Canadians had the opportunity to prevent information they provide to Census from being released to the public after a period of closure. For genealogical and historic research purposes this is a major step backward. For censuses prior to 2006, information for all respondents has been made available to the public after a period of closure. Up to 1980 that period of closure was governed simply by archival practice, which was generally considered to be about 100 years. With the passage of the Privacy and Access to Information Acts in 1980 to 1983 the period of closure was legally mandated, for the first time, at 92 years. Statistics Canada would have the public believe that the 'informed consent' (or 92-year) question was something sought after by genealogists and historians. Nothing could be further from the truth. Opposition to such a question is a matter of record in Hansard records of Senate Committee hearings. Regulations attached to the Privacy Act clearly state public access to Census records is allowed for purposes of research, after a 92-year period of closure. That access however was being prevented, through a technical loophole invoked by Chief Statistician Ivan P. Fellegi After an eight year campaign to regain access to Historic Census records, genealogists and historians were coerced into not opposing imposition of an 'informed consent' question in Bill S-18. They were advised that unless they agreed not to oppose the question, the government would not present the Bill to restore unfettered access (after 92 years) to Censuses up to 2005. With an overall positive response to the question of less than 56 percent, the 2006 Census has been destroyed as a complete and viable research tool for genealogists and historians. For more than 44 percent of Canadians, future genealogists will find no mention of their ancestors in the Census. No longer will historians be able to compile a complete demographic picture of the Canadian family through Census. It is a tragedy that defies comprehension. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-chair, Canada Census Committee 1455 Delia Drive Port Coquitlam, BC, V3C 2V9