| Name: | Mr. Gerry Byrne |
| Political Party: | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Constituency: | Humber--St. Barbe--Baie Verte |
| Province: | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Telephone: | (613) 996-5509 |
| Fax: | (613) 996-9632 |
| Email: | Byrne.G@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | 96 West Street PO Box 1095 Cornerbrook, Newfoundland and Labrador A2H6T2 |
10/07/2002 - email to MP Gerry Byrne from Gordon A. Watts.
To: MP Byrne, Gerry Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 11:44 AM Subject: Post 1901 Census legislation Dear Mr. Byrne At long last there has been a public acknowledgement by the Government of Canada that they have an interest in the concerns of Canadians, and others, that seek continuing access to Post-1901 Census records. That acknowledgement took the form of inclusion of a statement in an address of the Hon. Don Boudria, Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. The address was made to the Newsmakers Breakfast at the National Press Club, 3 October 2002. It was titled "The Government's Fall Legislative Program". On page four of Mr. Boudria's notes for that address, he states: "Other legislation will also be introduced respecting: The release of 92-year old census records for historical research purposes - which responds to recommendations and work done by parliamentarians in the House and Senate such as MP Calder and Senator Milne;" This acknowledgement of our concerns, on behalf of the government, is welcome news. It does not yet mean, however, that continued public access of Historic Census records has been approved and those records are now available to access for purposes of research. The proposed legislation has not yet been brought down, and it remains to be seen if, when it is brought down, it meets the needs and expectations of those seeking access. Senator Lorna Milne continues to work with the Hon. Allan Rock, Minister of Industry, to ensure that the end result does meet those needs and expectations. I remind you that what we seek is exactly the same unrestricted access to records after 1901 that is currently available for those records up to and including 1901. I currently show you on the MPs Scoreboard of the Post 1901 Census Project website (at the URL following my signature) as "sitting on the fence". You have been given this position by virtue of the fact that you have yet to give a definitive response stating your support, or otherwise, for public access to Historic Census records, 92 years after collection. (Or, at least, that I have seen no such response.) In view of the fact that the Government has now stated it's intention to introduce legislation that will hopefully address our concerns, will you now give a definitive response stating your supportive position for such legislation? I am not one of your constituents, but in writing to you I believe that I speak on behalf of a great many others who are your constituents. As such, I hope that you will afford me the courtesy of a response to this message. In responding to my message with a supportive answer to my question, so that it might be posted to your correspondence log, you would likely save yourself a great many similar requests by others. Thank you for taking the time to read my message, and for responding thereto. Have a great day! Sincerely Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee 1455 Delia Drive Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 2V9 10/01/2002 - letter from MP Gerry Byrne to Muriel M. Davidson.
Ms. Muriel M. Davidson Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee 25 Crestview Avenue Brampton, Ontario L6W 2R8 Dear Ms. Davidson: Thank you for your e-mail of September 4, 2002 concerning access to information from Canada's Census 1906 and Census 1911. I appreciate that many Canadians who are actively involved in genealogical research could benefit from having access to this information. Given the increase in immigration and the western migration as the country opened up early in the century, the census data will certainly assist people in finding relatives and better understanding the environment in which our predecessors lived. Rest assured that I have taken note of your desire to access this information. Thank you again for writing me to express your views on this issue. Sincerely yours, Hon. Gerry Byrne, P.C., M.P. 06/23/2002 - email to MP Gerry Byrne from Don Tate.
To: Gerry Byrne, MP Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 4:13 PM Subject: A rewuest for support in releasing the Post 1901 Census Information Mr. Gerry Byrne, M.P. (Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte):- By now you likely have heard Canadians and others with roots in Canada are hopeful of the safe passage of Bill S-12, which| Senator Lorna Milne presented after the last election. I would like to take this opportunity to request your support of this very important bill. I am the Director of the Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogy Site and am also a member of the Canada Census Committee representing Newfoundland. I am the director of the largest collection of original source material relating to Newfoundland Genealogy on the Internet. We feel very strongly about the need for the complete, un-compromised release of the Post 1901 Canadian census information. To give you some information as to the numbers of people using information of this type from just our web site, let me quote a few numbers. For the month of May, we served up over a million pages of information from the site to people in 37 different countries around the world. We are serving up about 35,000 pages of information per day to these people. There are nearly 16,000 individual files of information posted on the site. These numbers show just how large an area of the total population base, that this Bill affects. It is imperative that you, as a member of Parliament representing part of this same large group of people, make your views known and hopefully, provide support for this critical issue. I urge your unqualified support for this Bill. Thank you very much for your consideration and help in this matter. I will be waiting to hear from you and hope to hear you are in full support of this Bill. Don Tate Director Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogy Site http://ngb.chebucto.org/ Member, Canada Census Committee (Newfoundland) 03/08/2002 - email to MP Gerry Byrne from Donna M. Burden.
Member of Parliament House of Commons Parliament Buildings Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Mr.Byrne, As a Newfoundlander, I am writing to ask you to support the release of the post 1901 census documents to the National Archives, as has been done with those for 1901 and earlier without any controversy. The information in these census documents is a vital part of our history and heritage as individuals and as a country. It belongs to the people. This right cannot be taken away by the current bureaucrats at Statistics Canada, who appear to be the only ones objecting to the release. The 92 year wait is plenty of time to ensure privacy of individuals. Personally, I am researching my ancestors who moved to western Canada in the early 1900's and cannot do so without the release of the 1905 Western Census. As you know, this is an especially important census for historians and genealogists alike, because it is documents for the first time, the massive immigration to the western provinces during their infancy. I would draw your attention to the six page supplement in the Globe and Mail on February 16, 2002, called "The National Archives, A Living Memory". From it I quote, "Every year, the National Archives of Canada welcomes thousands of visitors into its research rooms - most of them intent on tracing their family histories. This is no idle pastime. The pursuit of genealogy and family history is one of this country's most popular activities, and one of the main ways for citizens to connect to the past and find meaning in it." The census is the only documentary history of ORDINARY Canadians. We cannot lock it up and pretend these people did not exist. By not releasing the census, we are effectively erasing the memory and lives of these early Canadians. We have no right to do that. Their story deserves to be told. Bill S12 presented by Senator Lorna Milne, is currently in third reading stage in the Senate. I am asking for your support for the bill when it reaches the House of Commons. Your's sincerely, Donna M. Burden, St. John's NF 06/25/2001 - email to MP Gerry Byrne from Muriel M. Davidson.
To: Byrne.G@parl.gc.ca Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 9:47 PM Subject: Could We Change the Calendar to 2001????? To Gerry Byrne, MP:- I know you have very possibly been told by your party caucus not to reply, but have you asked your constituents how they feel about the release of Post-1901 census in other parts of Canada??? We know and applaud those working on the online Newfoundland census -- but there are problems in some of the early years, which might be corrected if release to National Archives is allowed. This does necessitate changes of present laws -- long overdue. You have never even had the courtesy to reply to Global Genealogy who donate this space for our usage. Newfoundland is next to another province in lack of support -- could we change the calendar from 1999 to 2001? Check your message area http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Score5.htm#NF Muriel M. Davidson Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee 04/30/99- e-mail from The Global Gazette to MP
A web site has been posted at http://globalgenealogy.com/census to record MP's responses, so that those who are interested, will know the position that their elected representative has (or has not expressed) on the issue. Also included on the web site, is a correspondence log for each Member of Parliament, which will contain responses to this e-mail plus any other correspondence from the MP. The Question: "Would you, as an elected Member of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada, vote FOR or AGAINST a Bill supporting release to the Public, of Post 1901 Census Records, 92 years after they were recorded. ( 1911 census information available in 2003, 1921 in 2013 etc)" If you would like to expand on your position, your entire response will be posted to your individual correspondence log. The Post 1901 Census web site is sponsored by Global Genealogy & History Bookstore. A vast number of e-mails and calls from subscribers and web site visitors, clearly demonstrates that this issue is extremely important to them. Many readers have expressed that their current MP's position on this issue will weigh heavily in their decision process during the next election. |
|
|
