EXTRACTS FROM HANSARD -- PROCEEDINGS OF CANADA'S SENATE :

Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
1st Session, 36th Parliament,
Volume 137, Issue 134
Thursday, April 29, 1999
The Honourable Gildas L. Molgat, Speaker



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Access to Census Information
Inquiry -- Debate Continued

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Milne calling the attention of the Senate to the lack of access to the 1906 and all subsequent censuses caused by an Act of Parliament adopted in 1906 under the Government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.-(Honourable Senator Johnson)

Hon. Thelma J. Chalifoux: Honourable senators, I want to thank Senator Milne for calling our attention to the lack of access to the 1906 and all subsequent censuses. I would like to explain to you the importance of this issue to the Métis people of Canada.

In 1982, the federal government recognized, through the Constitution of Canada, the Métis nation as a recognized aboriginal nation of Canada. We, as the Métis people of Western Canada, have always known our lineage and our history as it relates to the development of our country.

The First Nations and the Inuit have always been counted, from birth to death, through the Department of Indian Affairs, but the Métis have not been counted the same way. Now that the Métis have gained the status of a recognized aboriginal nation, it is imperative that our genealogists have access to these censuses. This documented proof is vitally important to the Métis people of Ontario and Quebec so that they, too, can gain access to any benefits for which aboriginal people can apply.

The Métis of Western Canada can access script documentation in the Hudson Bay archives. The Métis people of Ontario and Quebec deserve the opportunity to get the needed information that these censuses could provide. It will give families the necessary information to assist them in their search for their identity as true Canadian citizens. By researching your family history, you learn where you fit in your family tree. In a time when the healing of aboriginal peoples is receiving focus and support, it is imperative that they know where they come from so that they can move forward in the sacred circle of their lives. This is why I support Senator Milne's statements.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, this inquiry will stand in the name of the Honourable Senator Johnson.