Thanks Jeff. I was going by memory from the Parliamentary Calendar and had it in mind that they only sat for one week between the two recesses. Guess I am not infallible after all. <]:-) Cheers. Gordon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul, Jeff: SEN" <PAULJ@SEN.PARL.GC.CA> To: "Gordon A. Watts" <gordon_watts@telus.net>; "Canada Census Campaign" <CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 10:59 AM Subject: RE: Post 1901 Census - Parliament in recess -- again! Actually folks, Parliament IS in session this week. The 2 week Easter Break does not start until next week. Jeff Paul Policy Advisor Office of the Hon. Lorna Milne -----Original Message----- From: Gordon A. Watts [mailto:gordon_watts@telus.net] Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 1:57 PM To: Canada Census Campaign Subject: Post 1901 Census - Parliament in recess -- again! Greetings All. Just a quick note to advise that this week and next, Parliament is once again in recess. Another opportunity to meet with your MP in their Constituency Office to discuss with them our concerns regarding regaining public access to Historic Census records, 92 years after collection. Addresses for Constituency offices are now on the personal Correspondence Logs of each MP on the Scoreboards of the Post 1901 Census Project website at the URL following my signature. Access the Scoreboard and click on the MPs name in the left hand column to access their Correspondence Log. While there check the current position shown for your MP. We seek to regain exactly the same public access -- without conditions or restrictions -- for records of Census after 1906 that we currently have for 240 years of records up to that time. We do not seek to gain something that we have never had. We seek instead to regain the access to these vital records that has been improperly, and believed illegally, withheld from us by the Chief Statistician of Canada. Current legislation, in the form of the Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Regulations attached thereto, clearly states that personal information collected through Census may be provided to any person or body for purposes of research 92 years after collection. The National Archives Act clearly states that it is the National Archivist -- not the Chief Statistician of Canada -- that determines what government documents are of archival or historical value and that SHALL be deposited in the National Archives. The National Archivist, Ian E. Wilson, has determined that records of Census are a National Treasure and requested care and control of the records in question be returned to him. His request was refused by Chief Statistician Ivan P. Fellegi. Our MPs must be informed that no civil servant -- regardless of how highly placed -- is above the Laws of Canada. The Chief Statistician must be directed by the government to obey the Laws of Canada and to return care and control of Historic Census records to the National Archivist -- who should have that care and control to begin with. On 24 January 2003, the government released and placed online scanned images of the 1906 Census of the Northwestern Provinces. The release was made with no conditions or restrictions to access. In so doing the government has conceded that existing legislation allows them to do so. We expect nothing less for the 1911 National Census -- which should already have been released -- or for the continued release after 92 years of all subsequent Censuses. Happy Hunting. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee Port Coquitlam, BC http://globalgenealogy.com/Census en français http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm Permission to forward without notice is granted.