POST 1901 CENSUS PROJECT
Protect Canadian Census Records From Destruction
françaisThe following article by Dean Jobbs appeared in The Halifax Herald 21 June 1998Census counted 7.2 m of usBy Dean JobbStaff Reporter When census-takers fanned out across Canada in 1911, the population stood at 7.2 million. The country was just 44 years old, Halifax lawyer Robert Borden was about to end Wilfrid Laurier's long reign as prime minister and Canada's navy consisted of two surplus British warships. The information collected for that census is stored on 936 reels of microfilm at Statistics Canada. The original paper forms filled out by officials going door to door have long since been destroyed. The copies are open only to Stats Can staff, who consult them for the dwindling number of people alive in 1911 who need to verify their age for pensions or their citizenship for a passport. The census recorded names, ages and birth dates. People were also asked to state their nationality, religion, occupation, education level and language. There were also personal questions about state of health and a category noting infirmities, including whether the person was "blind, deaf or dumb, crazy or lunatic, idiotic or silly." Genealogists say if people are offended to see the more sensitive information made public, even after 92 years, they should still have access to names and other basic information they need to trace families. The U.S., which makes census records public after 72 years, is gearing up to release its 1930 data, Lyn Winters points out. The 1920 census is already available. "Has U.S. society suffered greatly because of this?" |
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