| Name: | Mr. Gordon O'Connor |
| Political Party: | Conservative Party of Canada |
| Constituency: | Carleton - Lanark |
| Province: | Ontario |
| Telephone: | (613) 992-1119 |
| Fax: | (613) 992-1043 |
| Email: | Oconnor.G@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | 240 Michael Cowpland Drive Kanata, Ontario K2M 1P6 |
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10/21/2004 - email re: MP Gordon O'Connor to Gordon A. Watts From: Cameron Bryant Hello Gordon, My name is Cameron Bryant. I e-mailed Ontario MP Gordon O'Connor yesterday to ask for his support and he said he supports the release. Add another gold tick! Here is a copy of my e-mail and his reply. Hope this helps you! -------------- Mr. Bryant Thank you for your letter expressing support for the release of the 1911 census records. We appreciate knowing your views on this issue and am pleased to be given the opportunity of providing you with our position. The Conservative Party 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. Best of luck in your efforts. Regards Emma McLennan Tel: 613-992-1119 ---------Original Message-------------- Dear Mr. O'Connor, My name is Cameron Bryant. I am a sixteen year old student who lives in St. Thomas, Ontario. I am writing to you to ask for your support with the release of the 1911 census early. I am an avid genealogist, so you can see that I have a vested interest in seeing that the 1911 Census can be released. The opening of the 1911 census would be a goldmine for genealogists just like me. It would give us information on relatives who lived not long ago, a rarity in the genealogy trade. I always find it fascinating to learn about things like what occupation my great-grandfather had, or where my great-great grandmother was born. These things are not only important for my own information, but important to history so we can learn about our ancestors and our past. Also, countries like the United States and Britain release their census information far before the 93 years our census has been sealed. As well, it is a common misnomer that census participants were told the records would be sealed for 100 years. This argument was proven more recently, and as a result the 1906 Census was successfully released. I could also point out that many of your fellow conservatives support the early release, including Mr. Harper. I hope you will consider your stance and choose to be in favour of allowing the early release. It is important -especially for young people like myself- to connect with our ancestors and learn about them so that we may move forward in life. I look forward to your reply. Respectfully Yours, Cameron Bryant 10/13/2004 - email from MP Gordon O'Connor to Muriel M. Davidson. From: "O'Connor, Gordon - M.P." Ms. Davidson Thank you for your letter expressing support for the release of post-1901 census records. I appreciate knowing your views on this issue and am pleased to be given the opportunity of providing you with our position. The Conservative Party 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. Best of luck in your efforts. Regards Emma McLennan -----Original Message----- To Gordon O"Connor, MP -- Carleton-Lanark riding It has been mentioned to me that all Members of Parliament of both Conservative and NDP parties are in complete agreement for release of our 1911 Canadian census. Please do not forward to David Emerson, Minister of Industry -- but reply -- even just a few words by email will do. Muriel M. Davidson muriel_davidson@sympatico.ca 08/29/2004 - letter sent to MP Gordon O'Connor from Gordon A. Watts 29 August 2004 Mr. Gordon O'Connor Dear Mr. O'Connor 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. Gordon O'Connor was elected to the House of Commons 28 June 2004. |
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