| Name: | Mr. Charlie Penson |
| Political Party: | Conservative |
| Constituency: | Peace River |
| Province: | Alberta |
| Telephone: | (613) 992-5685 |
| Fax: | (613) 947-4782 |
| Email: | Penson.C@parl.gc.ca |
| Website: | http://www.charliepensonmp.com |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | #101 - 10135 - 101st Avenue O'Brien Building Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V 0Y4 Tel. 780-538-1677 or 1-800-67-0456 Fax. 780-538-9257 |
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05/09/2003 - email from MP Charlie Penson to Muriel M. Davidson. From: "Penson, Charlie - M.P." To: "'Muriel M. Davidson'" Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 2:24 PM Subject: RE: Post-1901 Census - Open Debate, Free Vote and Amendments Needed for Bill S-13 Dear Muriel, Thank you for your most recent letter. For your information, the Canadian Alliance will not be supporting the census legislation currently before the House of Commons (S-13 - An Act to Amend the Statistics Act). In our view, S-13 will allow only limited access to “tombstone” census information after 92 years. Full access to census records will only be allowed after 112 years. We believe S-13 further complicates matters by allowing access after 92 years only to designated individuals. The designation process will result in a complicated bureaucracy, added costs and the question of who will police the census. I hope this clarifies our position. For future reference, the Canadian Alliance Industry Critic and spokesperson on this issue is James Rajotte, M.P. Best wishes, Charlie Penson, M.P. Peace River 05/16/2001 - email from MP Charlie Penson to Muriel M. Davidson. From: Penson, Charlie - M.P. To: Muriel M. Davidson Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 9:12 AM Subject: Post-1901 Census Dear Muriel: Thank you for your letter and attached infromation concerning the release of post-1901 census records. I am aware that you have written before on the issue, and I am pleased to be given the opportunity of providing you with our position. The Canadian Alliance supports the preservation of census records and the subsequent transfer of these records to the National Archives for public release. We believe that keeping the records confidential for the historical 92-year period is an adequate length of time, and that this is generally consistent with the practice in Britain and the United States where records are kept confidential for 100 and 72 years respectively. Again, I would like to thank you very much for writing, and hope that you are satisfied with my reply. Sincerely, Charlie Penson, M.P. Peace River 05/16/2001 - email from MP Charlie Penson to Norma Horte. Although Mr. Pension states the party position rather than his own, considering him collectively with the "We believe....." below, he is awarded his gold tick. From: Penson, Charlie - M.P. To: Norma Horte Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 12:07 PM Subject: Access to historical records Dear Norma: Thank you for your most recent message in support of the release of post-1901 census records. I am sorry that you were not satisfied with my last reply. The Canadian Alliance supports the preservation of census records and the subsequent transfer of these records to the National Archives for public release. We believe that keeping the records confidential for the historical 92-year period is an adequate length of time, and that this is generally consistent with the practice in Britain and the United States where records are kept confidential for 100 and 72 years respectively. Thank you for writing. I do hope that I have adequately addressed your concerns. Best wishes, Charlie Penson, M.P. Peace River 03/11/2001 - email to MP Charlie Penson from Norma Horte. From: hbhorte To: Penson.C@parl.gc.ca Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2001 6:46 AM Subject: Hi Charlie I am writing to you about the census debate. I was out in Grande Prairie/ Grovedale area yesterday for about 2 hours and obtained 40 names in favour of keeping these records open. I had things said to me like" we have lost to many rights now", " Oh! no! they need them open!". " This needs to be left open". Charlie! This issue is so important, I can not understand why you are choosing to sit on the fence, I would personally ask you to support this. This is an important issue that effects all generations to come, as well as us who are hunting family now! I can give you a good example, which is fact. I belong to NORWAY-L@rootsweb.com . I have a book called" Pioneer Roundup", which is a local history book of Valhalla Centre etc. I posted some names to that list and had a fellow from Norway e-mail me. He had only one relative who emigrated, first to the USA, then came to Canada, but he didn't know where, Saskachwan, or Alberta. Another person who lives in Edmonton, who has access to the Provincial Archives and I have been searching everywhere we can think of for records of this person. We have even had people going to cemetaries to see if there is too much snow yet to find out if there is a birth location. If these records are closed this is not only closing these records to "Our People", but to emigrant families. This is a democratic society and what would ever be the reason to close these records. One thing would be so that the grand children etc would never be able to say, this is "my family", also there is reason for medical researches. This is one field of interest to me, as in my in-law family, two children with hare-lip and cleft palets. Charlie, I am really begging you please re consider you position. Many people do not even know that this is being considered in the Government, and to make these decisions without proper consultation, and information is so unfair. People need to be asked, if this can not be settled any other way. Norma Horte 06/16/2000 - email from Gordon A. WATTS to MP Charlie Penson.
Thank you for your prompt response to my email of 15 June 2000. I am, of course, disappointed that you declined to give a definitive FOR or AGAINST response to the specific question posed to you. On our MP Scoreboard I will be showing you as sitting "on the fence." We are all looking forward to the report of the Expert Panel. I am confident that it will come down in favour of allowing Access to Historic Census as currently allowed under Regulations attached to the Privacy Act. Possibly after the report of the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census (due by the end of June) has come down you will change your mind and give a definitive FOR response to the question. I would be more than happy to change your "fence" to a "gold tick". I am pleased that you have made note of my Submission to the Expert Panel. I look forward to hearing from you after you have read their report. Thank you. Gordon A. WATTS gordon_watts@telus.net
To: 'Gordon A. WATTS' Sent: Friday, 16 June, 2000 7:45 AM Subject: RE: How will you vote? Dear Gordon: Thank you for writing about the proposed changes to the Statistics Canada Act that would allow for the release of census records taken after 1901. The information that you provided is appreciated. Prior to developing a position on this, I would like to read the panel's (Expert Panel on Access to Historical Records) recommendations. I have your submission on file and will certainly consider the points that you have made. Best wishes, Charlie Penson, M.P. (Peace River)
Thank you for writing about the proposed changes to the Statistics Canada Act that would allow for the release of census records taken after 1901. For your information, an independent panel (Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records) has been created to study the matter, and it is to report within weeks. The Statistics Canada website is located at: Prior to developing a position on this, I would like to read the panel's recommendations. Again, thank you for contacting me. Best wishes, Charlie Penson, M.P. Peace River
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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