| Name: | Mr. Joe Fontana |
| Political Party: | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Constituency: | London North Centre |
| Province: | Ontario |
| Telephone: | (613) 992-0805 |
| Fax: | (613) 992-9613 |
| Email: | fontaj@parl.gc.ca or fontaJ8@parl.gc.ca |
| Website: | http://www.joefontana.parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | 437 Oxford St East London, Ontario N5Y 3H5 Tel. 519-663-9777 Fax. 519-663-2238 |
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09/10/2004 - email from MP Joe Fontana to Carol McNerney. From: "Fontana, Joe - M.P." Dear Ms. McNerney, Thank you for your email regarding the census. I will forward your concerns to Mr. Fontana as soon as possible. Sincerely, Kristy Pearson Tel: (613) 992-1210 -----Original Message----- Dear Mr. Fontana: I would just like to make a brief statement here to you regarding the 1911Census. I have been researching for awhile and would like to be able to finish the family tree for my family true, but first and foremost I would like to have the chance to know where they settled at different periods of time and try to trace a couple of very serious illnesses that lurk in our past. I have scoliosis with severe arthritis and osteoporosis so basically the computer and library is my help. My daughter has a form of scoliosis which is spinabifida and so does my grandson. Any information I can obtain on our back ground is very important to me. People searching for their families are not interested in the other names on the census. Yes they see them but pass them by quickly looking for their own family. It is a very big help to us as researchers both for genealogy and history. I just recently, thanks to the census and a friend , discovered who my gr grandmother was before she married. Until that time I did not know her except for her married name. Please help us in our quest for the release of the `1911 Census which should have been out last year. Thank you for your tme and patients and PLEASE VOTE YES for the Census. Carol McNerney 08/29/2004 - letter sent to MP Joe Fontana from Gordon A. Watts 29 August 2004 Mr. Joe Fontana Dear Mr. Fontana Congratulations on your recent election as a Member of Parliament. To have the trust and respect of those who voted for you is a great honour. Members who have been re-elected will be aware of an issue affecting a great many Canadians that seek their personal ancestry through research of Historic Census records. Newly elected Members may not yet be aware of this issue. It has been estimated that in excess of 7.5 million Canadians have an interest in genealogy and family history. These individuals seek to regain the same public access, with no added conditions or restrictions, to 92-year-old records of Census after 1906 that is currently available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. Access to Census records after 1906 is prevented at this time because of the (believed illegal) policy of a federal civil servant - Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi - Chief Statistician of Canada. The Library and Archives of Canada Act (and it's predecessor) has designated to the Librarian and Archivist the authority to determine what records of government are of archival or historical value and that shall be deposited in the National Library and Archives. Librarian and Archivist Ian E. Wilson determined that schedules of Census have archival and historical value. He declared them to be a National Treasure. He requested the Chief Statistician to return care and control of the records in question to his authority. Dr. Fellegi denied that request. The Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Privacy Regulations, make specific provision for personal information collected through Census or Survey to be made available to any person or body for purposes of research, 92 years following collection. The legislation assumes these records to be under the care and control of the National Archivist. By refusing to return care and control of the records in question to the Librarian and Archivist for subsequent public access the Chief Statistician has acted in deliberate contravention of the Library and Archives of Canada Act, the Access to Information Act, and the Privacy Act. He has usurped the authority of the Librarian and Archivist to determine what governmental records are of archival or historical value and that shall be deposited in the Library and Archives of Canada. In dictating policy instead of following policy determined through legislation passed by Parliament he has usurped the authority of that body. Do you believe that any Federal bureaucrat, regardless of how highly placed or regarded, is above the Laws of Canada? Do you believe that a civil servant has the power to dictate policy that contravenes legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada? The Access to Information and Privacy Acts are complementary Acts born of the same Bill debated and passed by Parliament. Do you believe the parliamentarians who passed this legislation would knowingly include clauses in one Act, the effect of which would be to totally nullify clauses in the other? If your answer to any of these questions is 'NO' we ask that you support our efforts to regain the same public access - with no added restrictions or conditions - to Historic Census records after 1906 that is currently available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. We seek nothing new. We seek only that which current legislation states we are entitled to - access that we have had in the past but is currently (believed illegally) withheld from us by the Chief Statistician of Canada. We ask that you call upon the Government of Canada to immediately direct the Chief Statistician of Canada to obey the Laws of Canada. We ask that he be directed to return care and control of schedules of Historic Census to the Librarian and Archivist of Canada for subsequent public access in accordance with the Access to Information and Privacy Acts. We ask further that you ensure continued public access to Historic Census records by seeking a government Bill that would add to the Statistics Act a single clause, similar to the following: "Original schedules of Census or authentic copies thereof shall, not later than thirty (30) years following collection, be transferred to the care and control of the National Archivist for subsequent public access in accordance with provisions of the Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Regulations attached thereto." In reading my letter you may not feel any obligation to respond to someone living outside your electoral riding. The votes you cast in Parliament, however, affect all people living in Canada and in that respect your constituency is all of Canada. Considering this, even though I do not reside in your riding I would greatly appreciate your personal response to my letter. Your response, stating your support (or otherwise) of the access we seek, will be posted to your Correspondence Log on the Post 1901 Census Project website. It will be available for viewing by your constituents on the MPs Scoreboard at www.globalgenealogy.com/Census Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and for your consideration of this very important issue. Respectfully Gordon A. Watts 05/19/2003 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Mary Jo Cameron.
To: Joe Fontana, MP Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 12:22 PM Subject: Census I am an American citizen but both my parents were born and raised in Canada. I am writing to you to express how important the release of the 1911 census is to me and many other Americans with Canadian roots. My father was born in London, Ontario and because the 1901 census has not only been released but is on line I was able to find his parents and grand parents. Without the information I obtained from the census I would never known where exactly they lived, birth dates, dates of death and where they were buried - the census gave me enough facts to enable me to find the rest of the information. I have planned a three day trip to London this summer - I plan to visit St. Peter's cemetery and place flowers on my great grand parents grave, go and see the house where my father lived, the house my grandmother grew up in, the church they attended and the main library. While I am in London I will be staying in a hotel and eating in restaurants and most importantly spending money. I expect to find even more information on the 1911 census which will bring me back to London. My point is that the release of the census and better yet having on line access to it is not only important to people like me seeking their roots but it is important to Canadian Tourism - I have no way of estimating how many untold others make trips to Canada to see how and where their ancestors lived but I would imagine there are a great many doing just that given the rise in interest in tracing our roots. 01/17/2003 - email from office of MP Joe Fontana to Muriel M. Davidson.
To: Gordon A. Watts Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 3:03 PM Subject: Pots 1901 census records Dear Ms. Davidson, This is in response to your e-mail concerning the release of the Post 1901 census records. If personal information was collected from Canadians under statutory confidentiality provisions, Mr. Fontana believes that this promise of confidentiality must be honoured, although he would support the release of purely statistical data. As to the question of how he would vote on a bill, he would have to see the wording of any bill before making a decision. Thank you for taking the time to write to us on this important issue. Sincerely, Chantal Gobeil Legislative Assistant / Adjointe législative Joe Fontana, MP/député London North Centre Tel: 613-992-0805 10/07/2002 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Gordon A. Watts.
To: MP Fontana, Joe Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 11:44 AM Subject: Post 1901 Census legislation Dear Mr. Fontana 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 09/20/2002 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Frank McKerry.
To: Joe Fontana, MP Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 2:48 PM Subject: Post 1901 Census Mr. Joe Fontana, M.P. London North Centre: It is noted on the Post 1901 web site that you are on the fence (undecided) on how you are going to vote for this Bill when it comes back to the floor of the House. Have you contacted any of your constituents on this matter ? The people who elected you to represent them in the House ? Many of your constituents are eagerly awaiting the release of the 1906 and 1911 Census and are trying to get family information to complete their family tree and ancestry links. I am not one of your constituents, but I am doing research for family in your riding and your YES vote will assist me in my search. Would you please change you Undecided mark to a YES vote on the 1906 and the 1911 Census release to the Archives Canada ? Respectfully M. Frank McKERRY, C.D. Vernon, B.C. 05/07/2002 - email from MP Joen Fontana to Bruce McDonald.
To: 'Bruce McDonald' Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:55 AM Subject: RE: Canadian Census Ottawa, ON May 7 , 2002 Dear Mr. Bruce Mcdonald, This is in response to your e-mail concerning release of the Post 1901 census records after 92 years, starting with the 1906 Census. If personal information was collected from Canadians under statutory confidentiality provisions, I believe that this promise of confidentiality must be honoured, although I would support the release of purely statistical data. As to the question of how I would vote on a bill, I would have to see the wording of any bill before making a decision. Thank you for taking the time to write to me on this important issue. Sincerely, Joe Fontana, M.P. London North Centre -----Original Message----- From: Bruce McDonald Sent: May 6, 2002 12:13 PM To: FontaJ8@parl.gc.ca Subject: Canadian Census Sir I truly hope you will vote "yes" on the release of the 1901 Canadian Census... and future census at the appropriate time of release. I believe that after 90+ years the "need to know" far exceeds the need of privacy. Each of us make up part of Canadian history. My family forefathers and mothers are just as important to Canadian History as was Raddison and Grosellier, Wilfred Laurier, The North West Mounted Police, Percy Williams, to name just a few. Through research I found an ancestor who was a signee of the Ontario Fathers of Confederation, Thomas Swinarton. That makes me an even more proud Canadian because one of my relatives help make Canadian history. Through other research I found another relative was a cooper, and yet another a band master. On my wife's side, we found cousins married to each other, and a sibling with the same first name as his older brother who had died. Through records we found a mother and daughter with the same first name, came to Canada, married an uncle and nephew, both with the same names. When the nephew died she remarried and started a new family but was buried with the first family husband. These searches all started with census records We are still searching to locate when my great great grandfather was married and to whom. He was married twice and newspaper records indicate he had twelve children. We are aware of only six. I have relatives out there I know nothing about! Not releasing census records denies me the right of trying to know my own family. Not only is our Canadian heritage important to each and every one of us, so is our health. Many health problems and causes of death are hereditary. Knowing the ages and causes of death, diseases and ailment suffered by previous generations, can help future generations. Had I known my paternal ancestors died relatively young due to heart conditions, I could have had the choice to take some positive action that may have prevented my heart attacks and by-pass and other heart surgery... at considerable cost to the public health plan. More adopted persons are learning of their natural family, and then through searching ancestral records learn of hereditary health matters that can be addressed early, if not eradicated. These are just two of a myriad of reasons to vote "Yes". Without tools to trace our families, we would be only have half a family. I believe we all are entitled to know our ancestors (good and bad ones alike), to learn who we were and who we have become. To know my past is to know me and I do not believe any government has the right to deny me the opportunity to know who I am. Census is made available for commercial purposes... for financial gain, yet I am denied knowledge of my family? If the law needs changing, change the law. Do not deny us knowledge. I urge you to press for a changes in the legislation which will require Statistics Canada to deposit ALL census records with the National Archives. This must includes the 1901 and each census taken since that date. I truly hope you and your colleagues will vote YES on this very vital question. A YES vote to the release of the 1901 and all future Canadian Censuses. Respectfully submitted Bruce McDonald 04/20/2002 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Grace Nesbitt Fulford.
To: Fontana.J@parl.gc.ca Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 10:06 AM Subject: Post 1901 Census Dear Joe, How embarassing to see that our own representatives are STILL unable to commit a postive response on this issue and POST it to their message board (i.e.keep their CONSTITUENTS INFORMED)! London enjoys one of Canada's finest heritage research facilities in the London Family History Centre on Riverside Drive. Yet our Members of Parliament have distinguished themselves as uncommitted fencesitters on the subject of releasing post 1901 census' results.... Why does this not surprise me?? CHAOS at the municipal level and APATHY at the parliamentary level!!! What must we Londoners do to make our wishes known and have them ACTED upon by those elected to represent us???? Hoping to receive a reply, I remain Yours sincerely, Grace Nesbitt Fulford 02/08/2002 - email from office of MP Joe Fontana to Muriel M. Davidson.
To: Muriel M. Davidson Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 10:29 AM Subject: Sincerely hope your answer is Yes Good morning, I would like to acknowledge the receipt of your request concerning the census release bill. I will bring your request to the attention of Joe Fontana upon his return in Ottawa (the week of February 18). Thank you for your interest in this matter. Sincerely, Chantal Gobeil Legislative Assistant Office of Joe Fontana, MP London North Centre 07/21/2001 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Dr. Sharon Haggerty.
To: Joe Fontana, MP Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2001 8:11 AM Subject: Post 1901 Census As you are my MP, I am writing you concerning the release of post 1901 census data. It has come to my attention that you are one of the very few MPs who has not taken the time to respond to the following request concerning your position on this matter: "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)" The request was made over two years ago--surely you can manage a few moments to address this issue. As you must be aware, the Expert Panel on Access to Historic Census, appointed by your government, determined that there was no reason to withhold these data. I am an associate professor of education at The University of Western Ontario and a family historian. To withhold these records from academics and family historians serves no useful purpose and will result in an essential part of our Canadian heritage being withheld from our citizens. I urge you to accept the recommendations of the Expert Panel and take a public stance supporting their findings. Thank you (Dr.) Sharon M. Haggerty London, ON 07/20/2001 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Muriel M. Davidson.
To: Joe Fontanna, MP Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 9:09 PM Subject: April 1999 was a LONG Time Ago!!!!! To Joe Fontana, MP:- Periodically I check the personal message board of the elected Members of Parliament, especially the Ontario ones. This evening I was surprised to learn you have been unable to answer the first letter sent to you in April, 1999 -- surely someone could have helped you write it during this time period. YOU have a personal message board -- yours messages are ?missing? http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Score3.htm#ONT Just click on your name and read the non-existent mail. QUESTION: As an elected Member of Parliament, serving the constituents who elected you, will you SUPPORT release of Post-1901 Canadian Census Records by voting YES to any Bill, Motion on this subject? This would mean the 1911 census would be available from National Archives in 2003, and every ten years thereafter. We do suggest you discuss this subject with constituents, be dictated to by them, rather than others, as many seem to be doing. Census records are needed for family searches, one large one the 100,000 British Home Children brought here as "slave labourers" over a period of time. We also need the census for genetically inherited diseases -- just this evening, I learned of another family member with Alzheimer's -- my husband has vascular dementia. Looking forward to a very POSITIVE reply from you -- it may be by e-mail, will be posted immediately by Gordon Watts on your board. Muriel M. Davidson Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee 06/19/2001 - email to MP Joe Fontana from Muriel M. Davidson.
To: Joe Fontana, MP Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 5:55 PM Subject: YOU have never even replied to Global Gazette!! To Joe Fontana, MP Your personal message board is there for many to read -- does not take much time -- have YOU ever asked YOUR constituents if they desired census records released for family research? http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Score3.htm#ONT QUESTION:- Will you SUPPORT any bills and motions, as an elected member of Parliament representing your constituents, that will see the Post-1901 census records released automatically to National Archives? The Prairie Provinces have never had a Canadian census, the 1911 should be released in 2003, etc. This is the FIFTH time I have written -- I only need a short email that will not take up too much of your long vacation. Your answer will then be posted. Prior to opening of Parliament on Sept. 19th, we will be publishing names of all elected Members of Parliament who have not answered. This is a serious and involved issue - one that should not be taken lightly. As a volunteer on this committee, my riding is CANADA. 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. |
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