GenMassachusetts-L Archives

From: "Karen Hall Blunk" <>
Subject: Canadian Census Info
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 11:48:18 -0700

----- Original Message -----
From: Launie Graffeo <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, October 01, 1999 9:48 AM
What was the address we
> should write to again to appeal to the Canadian gov't about the releasing
> of the censuses??? I hope I can help.
>

Here's the Canadian census information. As you can see, US citizen
assistance is being requested, as well. KB

----- Original Message -----
From: Gordon A. WATTS <>
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 1999 10:48 AM


Hi Karen.

Thank you for responding to my question and offering to forward my message
to your list. I have had a few before you make the same offer for which I
am grateful. The text of what I wanted to send is below. Petitions from
people outside of Canada can be used by Senator Lorna Milne as support for
her private Bill to be presented in October. Thank you again for your
interest and your support.

Gordon.

- --------------------------------------

Greetings Listers

Have you ever used information in Canada's Census records to find that
great-great-grandfather James XXX was married to Mary, and that they had
four daughters and five sons, most of whom you were previously unaware of?
Have you been able to find that g-g-grandfather James was born DD-MM-YY and
that Mary was born DD-MM-YY? Did you find their countries of origin? Did
you find the ages and birthdates of their children? Did you find the
location of their homestead and that in 1901 they owned one horse, two cows,
and three sheep? Would you like to continue using Canada's Census records
to find information like this?

Did you know that the last Census of Canada that was released to the Public
was for 1901?

Are you aware that under current legislation in Canada THERE WILL NEVER BE
ANOTHER CENSUS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC?

Did you know that privacy/confidentiality clauses in Canada's Statistics
Acts since 1906 over-ride clauses in the Privacy Act that allowed Census
records containing personal/identifiable information to be released to the
National Archives, and subsequently to the Public 92 years after collection?

A Canada-wide committee of genealogists and historians, of which I am a
part, are dedicated to obtaining release to the Public after a reasonable
period of time, of Canada's Post 1901 Census records . We have been working
on the internet encouraging interested genealogists and historians to write
Members of Parliament, the Hon. John Manley - Minister for Industry and
Minister responsible for Statistics Canada, and the Hon. Sheila Copps -
Minister for Canada Heritage. The purpose of writing is to express our
dismay with the current legislation and to urge them to take steps to remedy
the situation.

A formal Petition to the House of Commons of Canada has been drawn up and is
being circulated Canada-wide. This petition, for citizens/residents of
Canada to sign, urges the Government of Canada to take whatever steps
necessary to retroactively amend Privacy/confidentiality clauses of
Statistics Acts since 1906 to allow Release to the Public of Post 1901
Census records after a reasonable period, starting with the 1906 Census.

This petition is downloadable from the Post 1901 Census Project page at

http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census

Available from the same website is a French Language petition, identical in
content to the English version. These petitions will be presented to the
House of Commons in October 1999.

After many requests from people living outside of Canada, a petition to be
signed by citizens/residents of countries other than Canada, but having
roots in Canada, is also downloadable. This petition has been worded to
compliment the petition to the House of Commons and will be used as support
in the Senate by Senator Lorna Milne.

Also available at this site is a more detailed explanation of the problem,
sample letters to write to Members of Parliament and the appropriate
Ministers, excerpts from Hansard that detail efforts by Senator Lorna Milne
in the Senate of Canada, to bring attention to this problem, and links to
other websites that have information regarding the problem and our campaign.

There is a Scoreboard that lists all 301 Members of Parliament, their e-mail
addresses, and shows how they would vote on a Bill to Release to the Public
Post 1901 Census records. Click on your MP's name to bring up a
correspondence log for him/her.

Finally at this site are links to articles I have written on the Post 1901
Census campaign for the Global Gazette and for The Family Tree, as well as a
link to a speech given by Senator Lorna Milne to the Ontario Genealogy
Society convention.

I have set up a mailing list to be used as a forum for genealogists and
historians interested in Post 1901 Census issues. Everyone having an
interest in Canada's Census information is more than welcome to join the
list and participate in the discussion. To join this mailing list send an
e-mail to



with ONLY the word SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and the body of the
message. Please do not have any other text, or signature files, in the body
of the message, or the server will reject your e-mail.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to other lists to which you belong.
Happy Hunting.

Gordon A. WATTS
Port Coquitlam, BC
ICQ # 9183352

Keep up to date on Post 1901 Census information at
http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census/index.htm
Download and circulate Post 1901 Census Petiton now from
http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census/petition.htm
Read my column on Post 1901 Census News at
http://www.globalgenealogy.com/gazette.htm
Subscribe to the CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN mail list at

This thread:

• Canadian Census Info by "Karen Hall Blunk" <>