----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon A. Watts" <gordon_watts@telus.net> To: "Canada Census Campaign" <CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 2:03 PM Subject: Post 1901 Census - Bill S-18 reported back to Senate Greetings All. FYI. On Monday 7 March 2004 Bill S-18 - An Act to amend the Statistics Act, was reported back to the Senate by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. It was reported without amendment. "On motion of Senator Keon, [the] bill [was] placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading at the next sitting of the Senate." While the motion reads that the debate on third reading will proceed "at the next sitting of the Senate", which would be today, such is not necessarily the case. This is standard wording when the Speaker asks when bills will be read next and does not necessarily mean that it will, in fact, be debated the next time the Senate sits. Hansard transcripts are not available online until the day after the event so it will be tommorrow (Wednesday) before I can find out if Third Reading of S-18 actually begins today. Senator Keon has not given us a definitive response to the question of his support, or otherwise, of the access we seek. Presumably his position will become clear when he speaks to the Bill. We hope that during Third Reading we will hear from some of those Senators supportive of access rather than only those who, up to date, have opposed it (with the notable exception of Senator Lorna Milne). According to the Parliamentary Calendar, Parliament sits this week and does not sit next week. It sits again from 21 to 24 March and recesses once more until 4 April. It sits until 20 May when it breaks again for a week. It sits again from 30 May to 9 June which is the normal last day before the Summer recess. There may be a possible extension of up to ten days, to 23 June, before the Summer recess. In any case, at this moment there are 46 sitting days left, with a possible extension of up to 10 days, for an absolute maximum of 56 sitting days before Parliament recesses for the Summer. All of this is, of course, subject to change at the whim of the government and we should not count on any more than the 46 days. Not much time to see Bill S-18 to be completed before Summer. Happy Hunting. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-chair Canada Census Committee Port Coquitlam, BC htp://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census en francais http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm Permission to forward without notice is granted