| Name: | Mr. Bill Matthews |
| Political Party: | Conservative Party of Canada |
| Constituency: | Random - Burin - St. George's |
| Province: | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Telephone: | (613) 992-8655 |
| Fax: | (613) 992-5324 |
| Email: | Matthews.B@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | PO Box 1880 Marystown, Newfoundland and Labrador A0E2M0 5 Maine Drive Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador A2N 2Y2 |
06/23/2002 - email to MP Bill Matthews from Don Tate.
To: Bill Matthews, MP Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 4:10 PM Subject: A request for support in releasing the Post 1901 Census Information To Mr. Bill Matthews, M.P. (Burin - St. George's):- 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. My wife's family originated in Trinity Bay and with its rich history, it has provided us with many an hour of enjoyment, tracing back through the public records available in Newfoundland, attempting to put her family together. All of Canada should have the same privilege of being able to access census information as we have had the opportunity to do here in Newfoundland. 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) 04/20/2002 - email to MP Bill Matthews from Ivy F. Benoit.
To: Bill Matthews, MP Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 11:12 AM Subject: Census Dear Sir: I am writing you today as a constituent from your riding who is concerned about your stand - or lack thereof - on the release of the census records. Genealogy is the fastest growing hobby in the world. It has long since surpassed stamp collecting as the number one hobby of North Americans. It has been estimated that there are some 7.5 million plus Canadians involved in Genealogical research. Traditionally the largest groups of genealogists are retired peoples. With the aging baby-boomers now reaching retirement age genealogy will only continue to grow. It is a mistake to believe that the activities of genealogists are trivial pursuits. While academic historians record the events and people who have made momentous contributions, the genealogist preserves forever the lives of the ordinary Canadian. In many cases the names recorded in a census are the only lasting memorials to the existence of an individual. Personally, I am researching my ancestors who moved to various parts of Canada from Newfoundland. At the present time, I am one of the many volunteers working on transcribing and researching the many documents available in Newfoundland. Those documents include parish records, transcribing many cemeteries, and most important of all, the census records at the archives. These census records also include the ones for 1945 and there have been no privacy problems. [I know only one page of the actual census records are being transcribed -- however, that is all I use] It was through my involvement in the Newfoundland Grand Banks web site that I was finally able to obtain the correct name of my great-grandmother on my father's side of the family. Many people all across Canada are intent on tracing their family histories. We want to learn as much as we can about our ancestors. For example, I have Fairbank's Disease which is a part of Med - http://www.medscape.com/orthopaedicshome. It is an inherited disease and I passed it along to my two birth children and as far as I know, it was passed down through my mother's family. Through research I might be able to find out just how far back that gene goes. 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. Stats Canada has taken a hard line on this issue. Before you form an opinion, I urge you to explore both sides of the issue. I write to you, as my Member of Parliament, to ask the following question: Would you, 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, vote FOR or AGAINST a Bill supporting release to the Public of Post 1901 Census Records after 92 years, starting with the 1906 Census? As one of the constituents from your riding, I urge you to vote in favour of the release of this census. Yours sincerely, Ivy F. Benoit
Member of Parliament House of Commons Parliament Buildings Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Mr.Matthews, 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 Bill Matthews from Muriel M. Davidson.
To: Matthews.B@parl.gc.ca Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 9:49 PM Subject: The year is now 2001 in all of Canada! To Bill Matthews, 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 04/19/2001 - email to MP Bill Matthews from Michele Pottie. From: "Michele Pottie" To: Bill Matthews, MP Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 10:21 PM Subject: Canada's Post 1901 Census Records Mr. Matthews, I understands that you're undecided against the above subject, as well as a few others in different ridings from down home. There's a lot of genealogists out here trying to piece their families together. I'm one of them. I've been trying to locate my grandfather's sister without any luck. Poppy passed away before I was born, but I'm trying desperately to find my great-aunt. He only has one brother left and a sister who has lost her mind. My great-aunt doesn't even know her sister is sick. His brother won't discuss his lost sister. Poppy's youngsters remembers her, but they have no idea where to look. The family had a falling out with her a while back and haven't heard from her since. I've never met her, but want to add her to my family tree and bring her back into the family. As a fellow Newfoundlander, you understands the importance of family to us. Every summer I spends down there, when the crowd of us gets together, I sees the youngsters and thinks of what my great-aunt is missing. It brings tears to your eyes when one of the youngsters looks at her picture and asks about her and you don't know what to tell them. I've two new beautiful nieces I'd love her to meet before she passes on. I firmly believe census records are the basis of genealogy. We needs your help in this matter. Could you reconsider your decision and help me find my great-aunt and bring her back into the family before it's too late? We could go down home this summer and have a wonderful family reunion, with one more at the table for Sunday dinner! Please think long and hard about this. What if it was one of your own? Thanks a lot, Michele Pottie 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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