August 23, 2000 Mr. and Mrs. Rick and Valerie Davidson E-Mail: rickval@vianet.on.ca Dear Mr. and Mrs Davidson: Thank you for your letter concerning the release of post-1901 data relating to the census. I support the release of this information and drafted a private members bill to that effect (Bill C-312 An Act to Amend the National Archives of Canada Act and the Statistics Act). A copy of the bill can be obtained at the parliamentary website located at http://www.parl.gc.ca under private members business (House of Commons). Thank you again for you interest in this matter. Sincerely, Mac Harb, MP ========================== 2nd Session, 36th Parliament, 48 Elizabeth II, 1999 The House of Commons of Canada BILL C-312 An Act to amend the National Archives of Canada Act and the Statistics Act Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA ACT 1. Section 4 of the National Archives of Canada Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (4): Release of census information (5) Despite any other provision in this or any other Act of Parliament or a regulation made thereunder, the Archivist may disclose to any person or body for research or statistical purposes any information under the control of the Archivist that is contained in a census of population taken before or after the coming into force of this section, provided that 92 years have elapsed since the census containing the information was taken. STATISTICS ACT 2. The Statistics Act is amended by adding the following after section 21: TRANSFER OF CENSUS OF POPULATION TO NATIONAL ARCHIVES [ Transfer of census information obtained after 1906 but before this section comes into force] 21.1 (1) Despite any other provision in this or any other Act of Parliament or a regulation made thereunder, the Chief Statistician shall, not later than 30 days after the day this section comes into force, transfer to the National Archivist for archival purposes, the information contained in every census of population taken in Canada after 1906 but prior to the coming into force of this section. [ Transfer of census information obtained after this section comes into force ] (2) Despite any other provision in this or any other Act of Parliament or a regulation made thereunder, the Chief Statistician shall, not later than five years following every census taken in Canada after the coming into force of this section, transfer the information contained in that census to the National Archivist for archival purposes. --------------- First Reading of Bill C-312 was Nov. 5, 1999 -- present status unknown Muriel M. Davidson <davidson3542@home.com>