I thank you very much for your reply to my email. (sent by your assistant). It stated that you were going to do further research on the subject of Canada's Post 1901 historical Census. I appreciate the fact that you replied but please keep your promise you will follow up with a reply when this is completed. I do hope you realize how important it is to preserve our heritage. We have destroyed so much of it already which is not very good for future generations. I have forwarded your reply to our Co-Chairpersons so that they can record it on our site. You can monitor your response by going to the following site which will be a green "fence" until we hear from you again: http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index6.htm I must congratulate you on your written English being that it is your 3rd language. I admire people that have command of so many languages (both spoken and written). I, personally, have 3 too but my two are verbal only. Once again, thank you for taking time to answer my email. (Miss) Adele Turner North Vancouver, B C -----Original Message----- From: Faille, Meili - Député [mailto:FaillM@parl.gc.ca] Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 5:20 PM To: Adele Turner Subject: RE: Reply requested re: Post 1901 Historical Census Ms Adele Turner, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail about Post 1901 Historical Census. As this is not my area of expertise and I'm not yet familiar with the who's who in the various departments, I would like you to grant me more time to do research on this subject. Some of my constituents are specialist in history and genealogy and they have mentioned some changes to release of census information. Also, as English is my third language, I would like to have more time to better understand the problem. I don't want to misleed you with an inappropriate answer. I will get back to you in another e-mail. Sincerely yours, Meili Faille Députée de Vaudreuil-Soulanges Porte parole du Bloc Québécois en matière de citoyenneté et d'immigration et auprès des groupes ethnoculturels Bureau à Ottawa Édifice de l'Ouest, Bureau 451 Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6 Téléphone: (613)957-3744 Télécopieur: (613)952-0874 Bureau de la circonscription 476, Avenue Saint-Charles, Bureau 200 Vaudreuil-Dorion (Québec) J7V 2N6 Téléphone: (450)510-2305; 1-866-323-8518 (sans frais) Télécopieur: (450)510-2383 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- De : Adele Turner [mailto:ajturner@shaw.ca] Envoyé : 31 octobre 2004 16:26 À : Faille, Meili - Député Objet : Reply requested re: Post 1901 Historical Census Mr. Meili Faille: First of all, please accept my congratulations and best wishes for winning the seat in your riding. Please do all Canadians proud while serving our country and to finally take a personal stand on whether you desire to preserve Canadian history or not. Don't forget, you are answerable to ALL Canadians not just to those in your riding....when you vote in the House of Commons, you vote for all Canadians and your vote effects us all. I need to know HOW YOU stand on the Post 1901 Historic Census? Do you support its preservation or its destruction? I sure hope in the future that it will not be typical of your office to ignore correspondence sent to you or worse still by sending a "thank you letter…then stating I have passed on your concerns to Mr. Emerson whose responsibility this belongs or to whomever is your critic". I HAVE written to them all. If I eventually do, probably it will be another "thank you for your letter and advising us of your concerns." PLEASE DON’T PASS THE BUCK AGAIN. I just want your answer to my question. It can’t be that difficult to do take a stand. My goal, as a member of the Canada (Save Our) Census Committee, is to draw your attention to the Chief Statistician’s refusal to release control for the 1911 Census records to the National Archivist. According to law, the 1911 Census should have been released June 1, 2003 and to date this has not happened. Legally, the Chief Statistician should immediately transfer all national treasures such as the 92-year-old Canadian Census to the control of the National Archivist for safekeeping and not destroyed as Dr. Ivan Fellegi wishes. You may or not be aware that for the past seven or so years, there has been a public campaign by genealogists and historians have been seeking to regain the public access to Historic Census records after 1901 that has been improperly, (and believed illegally), withheld from public access by Canada's Chief Statistician, Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi. The campaign has sought to regain the same unrestricted access to records after 1906 that has been available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. We have made submissions and provided more than 65,000 petition signatures in an effort to voice our concerns for all who are searching for their historic family information. A history of our struggles with the Chief Statistician is well documented on our website, www.globalgenealogy.com/Census. Included here are findings of an Expert Panel, and the results of cross-Canada Town Hall meetings, which all show agreement that there was misinterpretation on the part of the Chief Statistician with relation to the instructions given to Enumerators. Our law presently states that release of Census data must occur 92 years after collection. During the last session of Parliament there was an attempt to push through Bill S-13, supposedly to ‘correct’ a deficiency, (a deficiency only perceived by the Chief Statistician). Thankfully Parliament closed down in time to prevent passage, which ultimately would have done nothing to correct anything, except add an additional 20 more unnecessary years to the release time, and provide the Chief Statistician with more control. Most other countries in the world vary in release date from 70 to 100 years. Canadian taxpayers fund a Heritage Ministry, and what is more meaningful to our heritage and history than knowing and understanding our origins and ancestry, to say nothing of valuable medical information to be found. Mr. Wayne Easter has stated thus "In this age when criticism is leveled at our educational institutions for not making Canadian history courses readily available to our students, this attempt by Stats Can to further remove Canadians from their recorded historical roots must not be allowed to happen". The only resolution acceptable must be the same unrestricted public access for records after 1906, as is presently available for the existing 240 years of records up to that date. Access to these records is currently permitted under The Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and no legislative changes should be necessary for us to view these or any future records. What is required is a government which will live up to the pre-election promises the Prime Minister made of less interference by bureaucrats, and as well would require the Chief Statistician to obey the laws of the land. To date we have not had such a government. After all, the Chief Statistician does not have the legal right to enact or propose laws. His is an appointed position. Perhaps he has served his usefulness plus he has passed his legal retirement age when it is compulsory for all Canadians to retire. We would request that you introduce a Government Bill which would add to the Statistics Act, a single clause similar to the following: "Original schedules of Census or authentic copies thereof shall, not later than thirty (30) years following collection, be transferred to the care and control of the National Archivist for subsequent public access in accordance with provisions of the Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Regulations attached thereto." In closing, I hope to hear in the near future that an "original" promise voted into law by government will finally be kept. Over the years, so many promises have been made to the Canadian people have been broken by government. A couple of the broken promises made by government are the discontinuation of the GST plus the Income Tax that was to be discontinued after WWI. Neither promise was ever kept when they got voted into office. And those are but two unkept promises. So PLEASE don’t give me the same old rhetoric about the Right to Privacy. My Dad at age 90 years wasn’t even born when the 1911 Census was conducted. So whose Right to Privacy are you pretending to preserve? It certainly isn’t my Dad’s. So please help us correct this potentially tragic destruction to Canada's past and its history. I would really appreciate receiving confirmation by email whether you support our cause or not so that we can post your reply on our website. Thanking you in advance for your PROMPT reply to this email Yours respectfully, (Miss) Adele J. Turner Canada Census Committee Member – Save our Census #67 - 1947 Purcell Way North Vancouver, BC V7J 3H4 604-987-5137 ajturner@shaw.ca