An excellent letter Roz. Thank you for posting it. One comment I might make for you, or anyone else. When referring to breaking the "promise" of confidentiality, you might refer to it as a "promise that does not exist". Hopefully Mr. Manley will actually respond to this letter, but I would not hold my breath. An assistant will probably respond saying your concerns have been noted. Please let us know what response you get. Gordon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roz Griston" <r_griston@dccnet.com> To: <CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, 29 September, 2000 12:26 AM Subject: [CCC] FW: United Nations and Rights of Nationality submission re: Po st 1901 Censuses Dear Mr. Manning NOT Jean Marie Clemenger Personal Assistant to Preston Manning, M.P. I expect a response from Mr. MANNING..not his P.A. therefore: Dear Mr. Manning: I just read the information on http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census/cen181.htm how astutely political of you. You have danced around the issue and yet have not, obviously taken the time to read Gordon Watts submission regarding the privacy/secrecy mythology. And if you have, and you still tip toe around the issue, I can only wonder: Who or What is being hidden from the Canadian people? Are we hiding missing ethnic groups because of War or prejudice..people who were on one census and disappeared from another? Did Canada do more than put the Japanese in concentration camps? Who or What is being hidden? If nothing dastardly, is being hidden..then why the simple minded ploy of we'll lose the trust of Canadians for breaking a promise. When income tax was proposed/instituted it was promised to be a temporary measure to fund WW 1. We sure must have run up one heck of a bill to still be paying for it. Trust in Canadian government is not something a lot of Canadians have a lot of. This dance does does nothing to restore faith or trust. Moreover, Mr. Manning I HAVE the RIGHT to know my heritage. Please see my submission to the Expert Panel. It is below the copy of this email. Moreover, check out http://www.sadscanada.com and/or http://www.sads.org Because while you fence sit, someone could die. Someone who is related to me and my maternal line. I need the censuses released so I can track this branch of the family..and hey..they passed through Alberta on the way to B.C. They may have started in Ontario or further East. This bloodline could be all across Canada. Consider that one of them may have married into your line. Has anyone in your family..cousins, aunts, uncles died of a heart attack and they seemed perfectly healthy..and someone said, "gee, s/he was so young and it was so unexpected". ECG's can't be done on dead people. My mother was 46 when she died, her older half brother died in his 50's..her father died of a heart ailment in his 60's. He was married at least twice. How many siblings does my mother have? How many siblings did my grandfather have? How many siblings did her half brother have? Where are they? The post 1901 censuses will lead me to them. Most doctors and a lot of Cardiologists don't know about prolonged Q-T syndrome. But, my known family does. So, the next time the phone rings or a thunder clap startles you..think about someone with SADS..they are dying for the census release. Are you willing to get off the fence, put down the political rhetoric and do the right thing for Canadians? HOW WILL YOU VOTE FOR THE RELEASE OF THE POST 1901 CENSUSES, MR. MANNING? You were once the a federal leader of a political party..show some courage. Take a stand, do some research..be a leader. Lobby other MP's. My own MP John Reynolds supports the release. Many MP's in your party support the release. Give me a sincere and logical reason why don't, won't or can't support the release..but, stop the political dance. I've queried people who highly value their privacy..and no they don't want census data released about them while they are living..but each and everyone of them saw absolutely nothing wrong with releasing the data 92 years after it was collected. "Who cares who knows what after I'm dead" And be advised, Mr. Manning, I will push for the release under the United Nations and Rights of Nationality, if Canada does not do the right thing and preserve and release the Post 1901 Censuses. I look forward to hearing from you, Mr. Manning at your earliest possible convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration with this matter. Sincerely Roz Griston -----Original Message----- From: Expert Panel [SMTP:fe-expertpanel@statcan.ca] Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2000 4:42 AM To: 'Roz Griston' Subject: RE: United Nations and Rights of Nationality submission re: Po st 1901 Censuses Ms. Griston, this is to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail. Please be assured that your views will be included with the documentation provided to the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records. Thank you for taking the time to write to us. Dr. Pamela White Secretariat/Secretariat Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records/ Comite d'experts sur l'acces aux dossiers historiques du recensement -----Original Message----- From: Roz Griston [mailto:r_griston@dccnet.com] Sent: April 30, 2000 10:57 PM To: 'expert.panel_comite.experts@statcan.ca' Cc: CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: United Nations and Rights of Nationality submission re: Post 1901 Censuses Roslyn Griston April 30, 2000 Re: Post 1901 Census Release Dear Expert Panel While considering all the other documentation regarding the release of the Post 1901 Censuses. Please consider, I am a child of people listed on these censuses. I will be listed on censuses from 1953 onwards. I hereby give my permission to have census information regarding me and my minor children to be open to viewing by researchers in the future. My children have a right to know their heritage and nationality. We are descended from British roots. My four year old daughter also, has Ukrainian roots. You will be denying her, her heritage and ability to find her national origins if you choose to support the lock up or the destruction of the Post 1901 censuses. Her great grandparents and family came to Canada in the decade of the Great War. Her grandfather can not remember family details. The censuses will provide this information for her and her two half siblings. Would you deny my nationality of being chinese, even if I were born in Canada? Certainly not, simply because you would be able to look at me and know my nation of origin identity. Because, I and my children are of Northern European descent does not mean we are not interested in our nation'(s) of origin. Nor should we be denied it. Nor should any other child of Northern European descent. My maternal grandfather's family came to Canada about five generations ago. I'm still trying to find out if he is of Irish or Scottish descent. The Post 1901 Censuses will enable me to research him. He died in 1944. His wife, my grandmother died in 1976. Their only child, my mother died in 1978. I know nothing of my grandfather. Who do you suggest I ask about him? The United Nations says I and my children have the right to our national identity. I am Canadian born, living in a multi cultural country. A country, often stated as a cultural mosiac. Are my children and I of the wrong part of the mosiac to have our inherited right of nationality protected? Would you deny a First Nations person the right to say they were a Canadian born, of the Cree or Sechelt or Huron nations? I believe the following two paragraphs could successfully be argued in court to return mine and others right to access information regarding our historic nation(s) of orgin. UNITED NATIONS Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 8 1. States Parties undertake to respect the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law without unlawful interference. 2. Where a child is illegally deprived of some or all of the elements of his or her identity, States Parties shall provide appropriate assistance and protection, with a view to re-establishing speedily his or her identity. I and my children have a right to know our nationality. It is part our cultural identity. Thank you for your time and consideration with this submission. Sincerely Roslyn Griston Box 67 Granthams Landing, B.C. Canada V0N 1X0 Phone: 604.886.3430 email: r_griston@dccnet.com