The following article became "disjointed" during posting, so offered to do this for Carol -- she is busy with more letters -- to others.= Muriel M. Davidson ==================== Article Published May 26, 2003 SOURCE: The website of the Prime Minister of Canada Canadian Prime Minister Announces "History Centre" REMARKS BY PRIME MINISTER JEAN CHRÉTIEN ANNOUNCING THE CANADA HISTORY CENTRE [ ALONG WITH MY COMMENTS] Speech made May 26, 2003, Ottawa, Ontario PRIME MINISTER. I am pleased to welcome you to the Government Conference Centre. This Centre will soon become the site of one of the most important meetings in its history: one between Canadians and their shared past. Together Canadians have built a nation that is strong, prosperous and free. We must know the builders of our nation to sustain what their mind and hearts, their muscles and their blood, have created. P.M. We must find ways for young Canadians to learn what they share, to know what we have done, and to gain pride in their nation's accomplishments. MY RESPONSE: In order for the ordinary Canadian to be able to take pride in his/her family we must be able to have access to the census records of our ancestors. P.M. Our new Portrait Gallery opposite Parliament Hill will tell the stories through art of Aboriginal hunters on the plains, habitants making maple syrup, and Canadians celebrating their achievements. . MY RESPONSE: These treasures are our heritage about our families but only if we know about our families. My husband was placed in foster homes and it was not till he was past 65 that he discovered he was Métis. This was found out by a search of birth records that led to a search of census records for his grand parents. He now has found his roots. P.M. We must once again strengthen the ties that bind us together and the understanding of Canada that we share. Our past must be near us as we move into the future. The Centre will be an interactive meeting place where scholars, students, and visitors will discover how, as North Americans, we created this nation. MY RESPONSE: Yes I agree that people MIGHT go there. A lot more people will certainly make an effort to go if it means that they will be able to search our census records; PAST & FUTURE ONES P.M. Listen carefully and you can hear echoes in this magnificent building. You can hear the echoes of cheering crowds as soldiers returned home from the wars. Echoes of immigrants arriving from Pier 21 in Halifax, some to stay, some to open up the Canadian West. MY RESPONSE: Yes I am old enough to remember the WAR and the troop trains. The Red Cross & Salvation Army people meeting the trains. But you must realize that the census of 1911 is the last record of a lot of our fathers, sons, brothers uncles etc. P.M. The Canada History Centre will bring to life the memories of men and women who, through their ideas, their vision and their actions, inscribed their names on the rolls of our history. MY RESPONSE: This will only show prominent people not the ordinary Canadian. This is where the census comes into play for the Genealogist to find their own family historian. P.M. We have succeeded in blazing a trail, not by playing rough and imposing our will, but rather by clearly demonstrating that cooperation, respect and accommodation are preferable to confrontation. MY RESPONSE: This can very easily be accomplished by removing clause #8 from bill S-13 P.M. That our values are the product of our heritage and history. They are the legacy of our shared past, reflecting the long dialogue and negotiations between Canada's French and British settlers, our Aboriginal peoples, and the generations of immigrants that followed. The new Canada History Centre will open a door to the great wealth of our history and our heritage, making these treasures available to the people of Canada and the rest of the world. Our young people will then have the opportunity to discover the great gifts they have inherited from past generations. MY RESPONSE: Yes they will discover the heritage they got from Canadian history but how about THEIR personal heritage from their ancestors? P.M. They will also have a powerful new resource to help them build on those gifts, and pass them on to those who will follow. MY RESPONSE: I understand this will cost the taxpayer 90 million dollars. The people of Canada will not be too happy about this expense. The new "museum" would be much easier to accept if we can visit this centre to view our past census as well as all the rest to follow. Thank you very much Carol RUSSELL 28 Auburn Street BELLEVILLE, ONT. K8P 2N2 Home Phone 1-613 - 962 9497 Email [email protected] Home page: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tweetybirdgenealogy/ Visit my home page for "Home Children" information and other "world wide" links plus various passenger lists. Searching : Hart, Haslip, Jackson, Stevens, Little, Budge, Chipman, Welch, Russell, Johns & Glover --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.487 / Virus Database: 286 - Release Date: 6/1/03