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The following article by Joe Woodward appeared in the Calgary Herald 23 December 2000

Census data available to public after 92 years

Joe Woodward
Calgary Herald

Family historians and amateur genealogists are “rejoicing” over news that census data may now be released to the National Archives for public use – after an appropriate 92-year waiting period.

This good news came with the release this week of a report from a panel of experts that was federally appointed after Statistics Canada independently refused to release the 1906 census returns.

Old census returns are an essential tool for people trying to trace their family trees and for professional historians. And Statistics Canada has traditionally released them after a 92-year blackout period.

In 1998 however, Statistics Canada refused to release the 1906 census records to the National Archives, citing privacy concerns.

Over the next year, as family historians and amateur genealogists became aware of the problem, 2,500 letters and a 6,000-name petition ended up on Parliament Hill, prompting John Manley, then the minister responsible for Statistics Canada, to appoint the five-member panel of lawyers and historians to study the issue.

The report of this Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census ecords was made public Tuesday. In its report, the panel said it was “firmly convinced of the benefits of the release of historical census records,” and stated that “the passage of 92 years is sufficient” to deal with any confidentiality concerns.

“That material is absolutely critical to genealogists,” said Calgarian Dr. Bob Westbury of the Alberta Family Histories Society.

“The returns are the records of names, dates and places of birth, and family relationships – everything the genealogist needs to know.”

The 1906 special census returns are particularly important to Western Canadians, Westbury said Friday. Because immigrants were flooding into the West so fast, the 1906 census was held in Saskatchewan and Alberta, prior to the 1911 national census.

In some cases, the 1906 census returns are the only place where Western Canadians can learn the European birthplaces of long-gone ancestors. That information is essential to tracing a family’s pre-immigration roots.

Westbury was surprised by the vigour with which Statistics Canada and the federal privacy commissioner defended what they supposed was their duty to keep the returns confidential.

“Certainly after 92 years, any possible damage is minimal, and the benefit to people trying to trace their ancestors is significant,” he said.

“Now it’s up to the government to actually order Statistics Canada to release its microfilms.”

Chief statistician Ivan Fellegi could not be reached for comment Friday.

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