| Name: | Mr. Peter Julian |
| Political Party: | New Democratic Party |
| Constituency: | Burnaby - New Westminster |
| Province: | British Columbia |
| Telephone: | (613) 992-4214 |
| Fax: | (613) 947-9500 |
| Julian.P@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | 7615 - 6th Street Burnaby, British Columbia V3N 3M6 |
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10/19/2004 - email from MP Peter Julian to Nathaniel Smith. From: Julian, Peter - M.P. Dear Nathaniel Smith, Thank you very much for your recent correspondence. Please excuse the delay in my response as it is not on account of a lack of interest. This is indeed an important issue that has spurred the interest of many Canadians. My colleagues in the New Democratic Party and I support the release of census records through the National Archives after a period of 92 years and feel this recognizes the importance of upholding Canadians’right to privacy. Once again, thank you for writing me about this important issue and for your congratulatory message. Sincerely, Peter Julian, MP --------Original Message----------- Dear Mr. Julian, My name is Nathaniel Smith, I am the Male Member at Large of the Nova Scotia Young New Democrats. I would like to congratulate you on your winning the seat in Burnaby - New Westminster. I am currently running for City Council here in Halifax, so I understand and appreciate the amount of work it takes to run an effective campaign. I am emailing you to ask you a very important question to me as well as to many people throughout Canada. For the past five years I have been actively involved in the genealogical research of my family here in Nova Scotia. One of the main sources that I use are the Census between 1871 and 1901 that have been made available. However, for my research to advance any further I will need to access the 1911 and other Census so that I am able to complete family trees and so on. Currently Statistics Canada is withholding the 1911 Census from the public on the grounds that it is a breech of privacy. Since 1999 the Canadian Census Campaign has been working hard to get Stats Canada to release the Census so that researchers can use it for the wealth of information it provides. The leader of the Federal NDP and your colleague Jack Layton has been said to state to us that, and I quote, "the NDP is 100% in favour of the release of the 1911 Census without any restrictions." Would you do me the favor as one of my MP's and as a fellow member of the NDP of looking over the material concerning this and letting me know whether you will be supporting any Bill that will be put on the floor of the House of Commons. The Post 1901 Census Project has a website where you can find all of the information you need on our position. It is located at: http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/ Your help in this would be greatly appreciate to all those who will benefit from the release of these historic records. Thank you, Nathaniel Smith 10/19/2004 - email from MP Peter Julian to Muriel M. Davidson. From: "Julian, Peter - M.P." Dear Muriel Davidson, Thank you very much for your recent correspondence. Please excuse the delay in my response as it is not on account of a lack of interest. This is indeed an important issue that has spurred the interest of many Canadians. My colleagues in the New Democratic Party and I support the release of census records through the National Archives after a period of 92 years and feel this recognizes the importance of upholding Canadians'right to privacy. Once again, thank you for writing me about this important issue. Sincerely, Peter Julian, MP -----Original Message----- To Mr. Peter Julian - MP, Burnaby-New Westminster riding I know the Conservatives and NDP Parties have a policy to be in favour of release of 1911 census without restrictions as there were in the last bill, which was governmentally written. Your name and personal message board are at http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Score1.htm#BC A great deal of information is given at http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index.htm Should you desire, ask the policy advisor of your party, but hopefully your answer will be positive. As co-chair of the Canada Census Committee, I must remain non-political, but my hope is that Members of Parliament will assist in making the scoreboard look like Nova Scotia -- GOLD. When voting in the House of Commons, please remember you are voting for me in Ontario as well as voting for your own constituents. A letter is not necessary -- an email will be sufficient, Muriel M. Davidson muriel_davidson@sympatico.ca 10/19/2004 - email from MP Peter Julian to Naomi White. From: "Julian, Peter - M.P." Dear Naomi White, Thank you very much for your recent correspondence. This is indeed an important issue that has spurred the interest of many Canadians. My colleagues in the New Democratic Party and I support the release of census records through the National Archives after a period of 92 years and feel this recognizes the importance of upholding Canadians'right to privacy. Once again, thank you for writing me about this important issue. Sincerely, Peter Julian, MP -----Original Message----- Would you, as an elected Member of Parliament, propose or support a Motion in the House of Commons calling for the government to direct the Chief Statistician of Canada to immediately transfer care and control of the 1911 National Census of Canada to the National Archivist? R.S.V.P. Naomi White 08/29/2004 - letter sent to MP Peter Julian from Gordon A. Watts 29 August 2004 Mr. Peter Julian Dear Mr. Julien 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 06/28/2004 - Mr. Peter Julian was elected to the House of Commons 28 June 2004 |
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