Wish we had more letters like this one -- Muriel M. Davidson <davidson3542@home.com> -------------------------------------------------- [Crest] House of Commons Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A6 JIM JONES, M.P. MARKHAM August 10, 2000 Mrs. Muriel M. Davidson Canadian Census Committee 25 Crestview Avenue Brampton, ON L6W 2R8 Dear Mrs. Davidson:- Please accept my thanks for your recent inquiry into the release of post-1901 census records. I am delighted to respond to you, and I am hopeful that this letter can serve to alleviate your concerns. In recent months a number of genealogists and historians have articulated their collective disappointment that the 1911 census records will not be available for review in the public domain in the year 2003. These individuals had previously expected the 1911 census records to be made available for research purposes in the year 2003 because census records have been, up to this point, accessible to the public after 92 years. However, censuses administered after 1901 fall subject to the Statistics Act that explicitly prohibits the release of all census records. This prohibition does not allow anyone to access census records for any reason; the only exception is that an individual may access his or her own personal records – but that is the only current exception. An individual may not access the census records of anyone else, not even those belonging to his or her immediate family members, nor even those records belonging to members of his ancestral family tree. Many have argued that the release of census records is crucial to furthering the knowledge Canadians hold of the past, of their communities, of their families, and of themselves. Of course, access to census records is what enables individuals, scholars, researchers, and historians alike to trace their respective histories and to answer questions about their past: from questions as simple, yet so personally important, as when exactly one’s ancestry arrived in Canada, to questions as drawn and as nationally significant as the face of the brave men who fought and defended Canada in the First World War. Today – nearly 100 years since the Laurier government instituted the change to the accessibility of census records – it is true that times have changed dramatically, and so have cultural values. While today we place the utmost importance on personal issues, back then, as archival information indicates, the reason for keeping census records forever confidential was that Canadians feared the information would leak to tax collectors and military personnel – not because Canadians wanted to keep the information confidential forever. The goal wasn’t to keep valuable census information from historians. At a time when Canadians are increasingly interested in their past, and when private foundations such as the newly created HISTORICA are allocating millions to improve the teaching and dissemination of Canadian history, it does not make sense that we would be barred from access to our own history. While I certainly do appreciate the concern for statutory integrity and privacy interests, I do not believe that releasing the census records 92 years after the administration of the census would pose and infringement on either of these principles. This would not be an infringement of statutory integrity, neither an invasion of privacy, since after 92 years those who complete the census as adults are likely deceased, at which point the concern for privacy is moot. Furthermore, Canadians today have been quite vocal in their support for releasing census Records for research purposes. Given the overwhelming support for the release of the Records, we surely cannot ignore the call of Canadians. This is an instance where the sensibilities of Canadians – what they feel is right and justifiable – must be recognized. If Canadians of today do not feel that the release of census records is an infringement upon the privacy rights of Canadians of yesterday, then we as legislators have no choice but to acknowledge their call. It is for this reason that I will continue to support the release of post-1901 census records. Sincerely, JIM JONES, M.P. Markham Offices:- 231 Amber Street, Markham, Ontario L3R 3J7 tel: (905) 948-8200 / fax: (905) 948-8181/ e-mail: hjjones@ibm.net Room 679, Confederation Bldg., House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Tel: (613) 996-3374 / fax: (613) 992-3921 / e-mail: jonesj@parl.gc.ca