Mr. Rajotte Thank you for your response to my message to Allan Rock, Minister of Industry, copied to yourself. It is our hope that Canadian Alliance members, rather than simply voting against Bill S-13, will do their part to ensure a free and open debate regarding the Bill and the merit or otherwise of its conditions and restrictions. It is further hoped Alliance members will consider moving amendments to the Bill that would allow unrestricted access to all Historic Census records, on the same basis as those records up to 1906 have been released. It seems unlikely at this time that any such amendments will be forthcoming from the Senate. Thank you again. Gordon A. Watts [email protected] Co-chair, Canada Census Committee Port Coquitlam, BC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rajotte, James - Assistant 1" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 1:02 PM Subject: Re: S-13 May 21st, 2003 Dear Mr. Watts: Thank you for taking the time to inform me of your concerns with Bill S-13. I appreciate knowing your views on this issue and am pleased to be given the opportunity of providing you with our position. The Canadian Alliance supports the preservation of census records and the subsequent transfer of these records to the National Archives for public release. We believe that keeping the records confidential for the historical 92-year period is an adequate length of time, and is generally consistent with the practice in Britain and the United States, where records are kept confidential for 100 and 72 years respectively. The Canadian Alliance will not be supporting S-13. As it currently stands, this bill will allow limited access to "tombstone" census information after 92 years. Full access to census records will only be allowed after 112 years. We believe S-13 further complicates matters by allowing access after 92 years only to designated individuals. The designation process will result in a complicated bureaucracy, added costs and the question of who will police the census. There is also the matter of informed consent, which you have raised. I hope I have been of assistance. Sincerely, James Rajotte, MP Edmonton Southwest -----Original Message----- From: Gordon A. Watts [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: May 4, 2003 1:22 PM To: MP Rock, Allan; [email protected] Subject: Bill S-13 Mr. Rock. I send for your interest information regarding my latest Global Genealogy column relating to Post 1901 Census and in particular Bill S-13 currently being debated in the Senate. The column may be accessed at http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazce/gazce93.htm I sincerely hope that you will access and read this column. When the announcement was made 24 October 2002 that the government was preparing legislation to deal with the release of 92-year old Census records we were elated. After five years of campaigning the government was finally acknowledging our concerns -- we thought! When Bill S-13 was introduced in the Senate we were disappointed. Bill S-13 is a disappointment. Granted, the Bill specifies that records of Census, 92 years after collection, will be transferred to the care and control of the the National Archives. It specifies that the purpose of that transfer is to allow examination of those records, for research purposes by genealogists and historians. Having done this, that should have been the end of it. The conditions imposed on access -- the need for committing to an undertaking, added restrictions on release of the 1911 and 1916 records, and the need for "informed consent" for release of information on future Census -- are not desired. Need for such conditions and restrictions has not been demonstrated. Clause 8, in particular, would destroy forever the usefullness, and any possiblity of the use of those records for scientific, demographic or academic research. Additionally, it would prevent many future genealogists seeking information on us -- their ancestors -- from being able to do so. We urge the government to allow requested amendments to Bill S-13 to be moved and debated. We urge the government to allow a full, free debate regarding the merits, or otherwise, of the restrictive conditions imposed by the Bill. We further urge the government to allow a full and free debate on the amendments sought by the people, and to allow a free vote on those amendments. It is our belief that drafters of Bill S-13 have been unduly influenced by the position of one apparently very powerful bureaucrat that had, we believe illegally, withheld records of Census that should have been released in 1998 in accordance with the Privacy Act and Regulation 6(d) attached thereto. In drafting Bill S-13 they have ignored representations by more than 62,000 people who have affixed their signatures to petitions seeking to regain the same, unrestricted access to records of Census after 1901 that has been available for 235 years of records up to that time. They have ignored the untold numbers of letters, email and personal visits to MPs, Senators and other government officials seeking that same unrestricted access. They have ignored the will of the people. In a democracy, such as we are supposed to have in Canada, the purpose of government is to serve the will of people -- not the other way around! We urge the government to allow necessary changes to Bill S-13 so that it truly reflects the will of the people. Respectfully, Gordon A. Watts [email protected] Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee Port Coquitlam, BC http://globalgenealogy.com/Census en français http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm CC. all Members of Parliament.