The following has been contributed by Gwen Christie, with thanks! The Globe and Mail, Thursday, January 11, 2001 SHOW US THE DATA Historical census records are crucial to understanding ourselves as a people, says history professor BILL WAISER. Ottawa must make the material available By Bill Waiser Ninety-two years is long enough to wait. In the past weeks, editorial pages have speculated about a new challenge for former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin (aka Captain Canada) in his new role as federal Minister of Industry. Let me offer a suggestion, Mr. Tobin: Implement the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Materials and show us the historical data about Canadians. Just over a year ago, former industry minister John Manley appointed an expert panel to recommend how the impasse over access to post-1901 census data could best be resolved. On the one hand, Statistics Canada and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner maintained that census material had been collected in the past under the promise of confidentiality. On the other, the National Archives, in association with heritage and genealogical groups, argued that census records constitute a national historic treasure and should be made available for public consultation, in accordance with the existing regulations in the Privacy Act, 92 years after the census was taken. The five-member panel, including a former Supreme Court judge and two university presidents, held several meetings with interested groups and individuals, read 2,500 pieces of correspondence, and considered public opinion research commissioned by Statistics Canada. The panel's report was delivered to the former minister's office at the end of June, 2000. But it was kept from the public for almost six months. And when it was finally released on Dec. 15, Mr. Tobin, the new minister, in the best Mackenzie King tradition, called for more study. Is this the same man who, as minister of fisheries a few years ago, was prepared to take on the entire Spanish fleet over the lowly turbot? Mr. Tobin's handling of the expert panel's report is troubling for a number of reasons. First, it is readily apparent that the Chrétien government does not like the solutions proposed by the panel -- no matter how reasonable and judicious they are. Mr. Tobin has indicated that further public consultation on the census issue will take place as part of a larger review of the Access to Information and Privacy acts. This process could take years, especially since the review of privacy legislation has not yet been announced. More importantly, why was the expert panel convened if its fine work was going to be ignored? Mr. Tobin also speaks of the government's deep commitment to privacy. Yet, he is a member of the same party that passed the Access to Information and Privacy acts in the early 1980s in a determined effort to strike a balance between the right to access and the right to privacy. MPs who participated in the House of Commons debate almost two decades ago not only acknowledged that the legislation represented a "dramatic turning point" in Canadian democracy, but embraced the idea of a balance between access and privacy as both laudable and achievable. What became of this policy? Mr. Tobin also refers to the assurance of confidentiality that Canadians were reportedly given at the time they completed the 1911 census -- the so-called Laurier promise. The minister should read the report. The expert panel reviewed all the evidence on this matter and found not a single reference to perpetual confidentiality; instead, it affirmed that census material, according to the regulations, was to be transferred to the National Archives of Canada as a permanent record. The panel also recommended that past and future census material should be released after an appropriate waiting period, noting that such a policy would bring Canada in line with the practices of Great Britain and the United States. Finally, Mr. Tobin seems worried that Canadians will refuse to participate in the census if the information is made available to researchers -- even after 92 years. Here, the Minister should turn to the history of his home province. When Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949, because of the change in administration, all census material up to and including 1945 was made available to the public. Yet Newfoundlanders continue to participate in the census at the same rate as other Canadians. Nor has there been a single complaint about the release of this information. Twentieth-century census material is absolutely essential to understanding the past lives of everyday people who made up the fabric of this country. It is also crucial to genealogical research, a pleasure enjoyed annually by thousands of Canadians seeking to find their roots in Canada's past. Indeed, without access to this census material, our history will be less complete and our identity as a people significantly compromised. So, come on, Captain Canada, here's your chance. Arm yourself with the report of the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Material, and strike a blow for Canadian history. A country without a past has no future. Bill Waiser is a member of the University of Saskatchewan's history department. ---------------------- Muriel M. Davidson <davidson3542@home.com> http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/7843/poll.html