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POST 1901 CENSUS PROJECT
Open the door to Canada's Historic Census

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Correspondence Log


Name:
Mr. Robert Merrifield YES

Political Party:
Conservative

Constituency:
Yellowhead

Province:
Alberta

Telephone:
(613) 992-1653

Fax:
(613) 992-3459

Email:
Merrifield.R@parl.gc.ca

Address:
House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6


Constituency Address:
119 - 50th Street, PO Box 7887
Edson, Alberta
T7E 1V9

5023 - 50 Avenue, PO Box 1495
Whitecourt, Alberta
T7S 1P3


12/18/2002 - email to Gordon A. Watts from Dennis King regarding MP Rob Merrifield.
    From: Dennis King
    To: gordon_watts@telus.net
    Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 10:56 AM
    Subject: Bill C 312

    Gordon

    An extract of an E-mail I received from my sister in Carvel, Alberta.

    "Yellowhead Federal Riding and our MP is Rob Merrifield.

    As I told you on the phone I had spoken to the office manager of my MP about the bill. To my surprise he phoned me this morning and he said that he supports the bill. In fact, we had a good chat. I have never met the man. This is the most eastern point in the riding and his campaigning didn't extend this far. It is a very large riding! As many other Albertan MPs he is an Alliance member. That riding was held at one time by Joe Clark but that was before we were here."

    Gordon, I dont know if this MP was on your list of supporters however it looks like he is now.

    Regards

    Dennis King
    Lac Brome, Que

04/12/2001 - email from MP Rob Merrifield to Sharon Walker. An identical message was received by Linda Squires Vaillancourt and Jane Mosher Page.

    From: Merrifield, Rob - M.P.
    To: Sharon Walker
    Sent: Monday, March 12, 2001 4:45 PM
    Subject: RE: POST 1901 CENSUS

    Dear Mrs. Walker,

    I believe that the information in the 1911 census would give genealogists and all Canadians access to our shared history. The information is valuable, as Canada was in the midst of a tremendous period of growth between 1901 and 1911. I would support a motion such as M-160, put forward by Jason Kenney, MP in the last session of Parliament to release census information eventually after a reasonable amount of time.

    Good luck with your research. A country which does not know from whence it came is a country that has no clear direction in the future.

    Sincerely,

    Rob Merrifield, M.P.
    Yellowhead


    -----Original Message-----
    From: sharon walker
    Sent: March 8, 2001 1:48 AM
    To: Merrifield.R@parl.gc.ca
    Subject: POST 1901 CENSUS

    I ask that you give your support to the effort now being made to allow release of post 1901 census records. I refer you to bill C-312 which would allow release of census records 92 years after collection.

    On 5 November 1999, then Industry Minister, and Minister Responsible for Statistics Canada, John Manley, appointed an Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records to report regarding the legal, privacy and archival implications of providing access to historical census records.

    The Panel was asked to examine the following issues:

      1. What are the elements of the difference of opinions between Canadians who would seek to maintain the protection of personal information and those who would like to examine personal or community histories?

      2. What options exist to provide access to historical census records?

    Briefly, the Expert Panel found that a guarantee of perpetual confidentiality was not intended to apply to the census. They felt that it had always been intended that census records would eventually become public and did not view any legislation deemed necessary to do so as breaking of a promise to respondents. The Report recommended allowing public access to all Census records, past, present and future, 92 years following collection. They only advised caution regarding any legislative steps that might be thought necessary to effect release of Census between 1921 and 2001. They suggested that any legislative change felt necessary be done in the National Archives Act rather than in the Statistics Act.

    Would you PLEASE vote FOR the Bill supporting release to the Public of Post 1901 Census Reports after 92 years, starting with the 1911 Census?

    Thank you.

    Sincerely yours,
    Sharon Walker
    London, Canada

03/12/2001 - email from MP Rob Merrifield to Muriel M. Davidson.
    From: "Merrifield, Rob - M.P."
    To: "'Muriel M. Davidson'"
    Sent: Monday, March 12, 2001 2:45 PM
    Subject: RE: Let's Change the BLUE ??? to GOLD

    Dear Mrs. Davidson,

    I believe that the information in the 1911 census would give genealogists and all Canadians access to our shared history. The information is valuable, as Canada was in the midst of a tremendous period of growth between 1901 and 1911. I would support a motion such as M-160, put forward by Jason Kenney, MP in the last session of Parliament to release census information eventually after a reasonable amount of time.

    Good luck with your research. A country which does not know from whence it came is a country that has no clear direction in the future.

    Sincerely,

    Rob Merrifield, M.P.
    Yellowhead

03/12/2001 - email from MP Rob Merrifield to Martha Blanchard.
    Subject: RE: Post 1901 Census:
    Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 17:45:09 -0500
    From: Merrifield, Rob - M.P."
    To: BLANCHARD

    Dear Mrs. Blanchard,

    I believe that the information in the 1911 census would give genealogists and all Canadians access to our shared history. The information is valuable, as Canada was in the midst of a tremendous period of growth between 1901 and 1911. I would support a motion such as M-160, put forward by Jason Kenney, MP in the last session of Parliament to release census information eventually after a reasonable amount of time.

    Good luck with your research. A country which does not know from whence it came is a country that has no clear direction in the future.

    Sincerely,

    Rob Merrifield, M.P.
    Yellowhead

03/12/2001 - email from Marth Blanchard to MP Rob Merrifield.
    From: BLANCHARD [mailto:blanchac@cadvision.com]
    Sent: February 7, 2001 3:00 AM
    To: Clark.J@parl.gc.ca
    Subject: Post 1901 Census:

    Dear Member of Parliament;

    I am one of over 7 million Canadians involved in Genealogical research. We all, in researching our family ancestry depend heavily on information provided in Census reports. Under current legislation, post 1901 Census reports will not be released to the Public after 92 years, as have been Census reports up to and including 1901.

    Some of us are only first generation Canadians, others are up to well over fifteen generation Canadians. We are all proud of our ancestors for without them we wouldn't be here. The past Census Reports have been a very vital tool for anyone wishing to trace their ancestral lineages and we would not like to see this tool lost to us or to future generations. I personally feel that 92 years is a safe length of time to release Census reports.

    We have sent numerous letters and E-mails to local Members of Parliament, Government Ministers, and Senators expressing our dismay. We have requested the legislation be amended to allow release to the Public of all Census reports after 92 years.

    I am asking;

      Would you please, as a Member of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada, having been placed in that position by the voting citizens of your Constituency, please vote FOR a Bill supporting the release to the Public of Post 1901 Census Reports after 92 years?

    Thank you.

    Martha Blanchard

11/27/2000 - Mr. Robert Merrifield was elected to the House of Commons 27 November 2000.


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