POST 1901 CENSUS PROJECT
Open the door to Canada's Historic Census
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This page contains the written submission of Sandra Carlson re: public access to 1906 and 1911 Census Record made to Environics Research Group. From: sandy carlson Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 8:53 PM To: censusconsultation@environics.ca Subject: census Hello, I am addressing this to you in the hopes that you will release more of the Canadian census records, records since 1901. I see no harm in releasing these records, as other countries have released these same types of records, and no harm has come from it. Some of the people searching for these records are just trying to find a way to locate other family members. Sometimes, it can help to find where someone with the same surname has lived. As a method of where to put out inquiries. Genealogy, is another reason people would want census.. they are only looking for the old ancestors, though, not living relatives. There can be no harm from allowing the public to have access to census records. Some of us would just like to find other family members that are alive, while we still can. There can be no harm in allowing us to see where they have lived, and give us a general area to look. The family members always have the choice, still, to tell us they do not want to be associated, or the opposite,, that they are quite happy to have also found other family members that they did not know, or did not know existed. I know that I have family in Canada.. However, I do not know where. I do have inquiries already posted. However, the name has changed spelling at different times. I would need to do a genealogy search for these people to be absolutely sure, and I cannot afford to hire a genealogist to do this for me. However, I can afford to look at some census, and send a few letters to an area, asking for those familiar with this name to contact me. I have family in several countries around the world. Some are in the United States, and I have been looking to census as a method of trying to find out if any ever lived in a particular state, so I can decide whether or not to post inquiries in that state. The United States is a large area to cover, as is the Canadian Provinces. As I see it, the populace that would like to see the census since 1901 come out are not looking to do anything wrong. But, a lot of good could come out of it. As I understand it, the census is supposed to be a public document. And, as such, it should be available to the public. If this is not the case, then I would ask why the governments ask us to fill out census reports. I know that I have been told by census takers that it is "just the census" on more than one occasion. That the government does not use the information for anything more than to get an idea of how many people are in the country at the time. Which, leads me to think that there is nothing of consequence to these records. However, since governments do not allow these records to be seen until a much later date, I truly have to wonder. My curiosity of the census secrecy has lead me to do some checking around, and I find that I support Senator Milne's Bill S-12. I also believe that releasing these records would increase the trust that the general public have in government, as opposed to the lack of trust that is the general public's view nowadays. Too much in government has been secret for way too long. I am no genealogist, and could never claim to be. I am just an average person interested in finding other living members of my family. I can see no reason for harm to come from allowing myself, or others to see the census records. It is not like there is any detailed information hidden in census. Census does not contain vital information. I ask that my opinion on this matter be given consideration by your committee in your next meeting. Sincerely, Sandra Carlson |
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