| Name: | Mr. Bill Siksay |
| Political Party: | New Democratic Party |
| Constituency: | Burnaby - Douglas |
| Province: | British Columbia |
| Telephone: | (613) 996-5597 |
| Fax: | (613) 992-5501 |
| Email: | Siksay.B@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Consituency Address: | 4453 Hastings Street Burnaby, British Columbia V5C 2K1 |
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10/22/2004 - email from office of MP Bill Siksay to Adele Turner. From: Siksay, Bill - M.P. [mailto:Siksay.B@parl.gc.ca] Here is the response that has been provided to questions such as yours. Normally, the critic is the member who would respond on behalf of all the caucus. The letter below was provided by Jack Layton's office. Dear Friend: Thank you for your correspondence about the release of census records through the National Archives. I understand that 1906 and 1911 census information can be released through the National Archives under existing legislation and is consistent with the intent of Parliament at the time and with the National Archives of Canada Act, and Privacy Act and Privacy Regulations. My NDP caucus colleagues and I support the release of census information after 92 years, in the belief that most Canadians would accept this as a reasonable balance of the right to privacy and the collective interest in enhancing the study of history. Once again, thank you for writing. 08/31/2004 - email from MP Bill Siksay to Adele Turner. From: Siksay, Bill - M.P. [mailto:Siksay.B@parl.gc.ca] OTTAWA August 31st, 2004 Miss Adele J. Turner Dear Miss Turner, Thank you for your recent e-mail message to me regarding the release of post-1901 census data to the National Archivist. I apologize for not responding to you sooner, but it has taken longer than expected to get my offices set up after the election. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your material to my colleague Brian Masse, MP for Windsor West, and NDP Critic responsible for issues related to Statistics Canada. I believe that the issue you address in your message falls within his area of expertise, so I have sent it to him for his consideration. Thank you again for contacting me on this issue. Sincerely, Bill Siksay, MP 08/31/2004 - email to MP Bill Siksay re: his response to Nathaniel Smith. From: Gordon A. Watts Dear Mr. Siksay. In responding to Mr. Nathaniel Smith it is unfortunate that you chose to ignore the basic question asked, simply referring the issue to your party critic. This is a ploy that has been prevalent with Members of the major party of the past government, in particular those in the Cabinet, that seem to have had a problem with voicing their own opinions. In common parlance this is known as 'passing the buck'. We expected different from Members of the NDP. In writing to you Mr. Smith and your constituents seek to know YOUR opinion regarding the issue of public access to 92-year-old Census records. They seek YOUR support for a Bill that would resolve the issue, without adding conditions and restrictions for which there has been no public outcry and for which no need has been shown. In writing to YOU they seek a response stating YOUR position on the issue -- not simply a referral of their message to the party critic. In formulating your response to questions on this issue you might consider the following: -- Current legislation, namely the Access to Information and Privacy Acts, makes specific provision for public access to information obtained through the taking of a Census or Survey, 92 years after collection. -- Public access to Historic Census records is currently denied (believed illegally) by policy dictated by a federal civil servant - Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi - Chief Statistician of Canada. -- The policy dictated by the Chief Statistician is in direct contravention of the National Archives Act (now the National Library and Archives Act), the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. -- The National Archives Act (now the National Library and Archives Act) delegates to the National Archivist the authority to determine what records of government are of archival or historical value and that SHALL be deposited in the National Archives. It is NOT the function of the Chief Statistician to make this determination. -- National Archivist Ian Wilson has determined that records of Census have archival and historical value. He has, in fact, declared them to be a National Treasure. He requested the Chief Statistician return care and control of the records in question to him. Dr. Fellegi denied that request. -- 240 years of Historic Census records up to those for 1906 currently reside in the National Library and Archives of Canada and are available to public access with no conditions or restrictions. They are also available through many other libraries and archives as well as through genealogical and historical organizations, educational institutions and inter-library loan. Scans of original Schedules of Census for the 1901 National Census and the 1906 Census of the Northwestern Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are currently available online through Library and Archives Canada. -- We seek the same public access, with no additional conditions or restrictions, to Historical Census records after 1906 that we currently have for records up to that time. -- We seek nothing new. We seek only to regain that which we have had in the past, and that current federal legislation states we are entitled to. All of the above statements are easily verified. I invite you to visit the Post 1901 Census Project website, at the URL following my signature, to learn more of this issue that is so vital to those who seek their ancestry through use of Historic Census records. I look forward to your response, hopefully stating your personal support for the public access to Historic Census records that we seek to regain. Should you wish I would be more than happy to visit your constituency office to discuss this issue with you in person. Thank you. Have a great day. Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census 08/31/2004 - email from MP Bill Siksay to Nathaniel Smith Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 11:04:03 -0400 OTTAWA August 31st, 2004 Mr. Nathaniel Smith Dear Nathaniel, Thank you for your recent e-mail message to me regarding the release of post-1901 census data to the National Archivist. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your material to my colleague Brian Masse, MP for Windsor West, and NDP Critic responsible for issues related to Statistics Canada. I believe that the issue you address in your message falls within his area of expertise, so I have sent it to him for his consideration. Thank you again for contacting me on this issue. Sincerely, Bill Siksay, MP ---------Original Message-------- Dear Mr. Siksay, My name is Nathaniel Smith, I am the Male Member at Large of the Nova Scotia Yougn New Democrats. I would like to congratulate you on your winning the seat in Burnaby - Douglas. I am currently running for City Council here in Halifax, so I understand 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 with holding the 1911 Census from the public on the grounds that it is a breech fo 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 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 Male Member at Large of the Nova Scotia Young New Democrats. 08/29/2004 - letter sent to MP Bill Siksay from Gordon A. Watts 29 August 2004 Mr. Bill Siksay Dear Mr. Siksay 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. Bill Siksay was elected to the House of Commons 28 June 2004. |
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