04/20/2005 - On 20 April 2005 Senator Anne C. Cools voted against Third Reading in the Senate of Bill S-18, An act to amend the Statistics Act. As such she retains her Red X of Opposition.

03/23/2005 - Senator Anne C. Cools was previously shown here as being supportive of public access of Historic Census records, 92 years after collection. On 23 March 2005 however, during Third Reading debate of Bill S-18, she voted in favour of an amendment that would have the effect of preventing all public access to any records of Census from 1918 to 2005. On that basis, she has had her Gold Tick removed, and has been awarded a Red X of Opposition. Should she feel this is not representative of her position we would be happy to change it. All she need do is contact us to advise what her true position is. GAW

June 14, 2002

Gordon A. Watts
1455 Delia Drive
Port Coquitlam, BC
V3C 2V9

Dear Mr. Watts:

I thank you for your letter dated March 28, 2002 received April 16 regarding Bill S-12, An Act to amend the Statistics Act and the National Archives of Canada Act (census records).

Although I have never spoken in the debate on Bill S-12, I did support Senator Milne's Bill S-12 at second reading. Since then I have followed the debate with interest. The Senate has now referred the Bill back to the Senate Social Affairs Committee for further study. I shall continue to follow the Bill.

I thank you for sharing your concerns. Take care and be well.

Warmest regards,

Yours Sincerely,

Hon. Anne C. Cools
Senator

April 30, 2002

Robert Wiffin
Ancaster, Ontario

Dear Mr. Wiffin:

I thank you for your letter dated March 12, 2002, received March 18, regarding Bill S-12, An Act to amend the Statistics Act and the National Archives of Canada Act (census records).

In your letter, you described me as listed as a "no response". In fact, I did support Bill S-12 at second reading. I have followed the debate, even though I have never spoken. The Senate has now referred Bill S-12 back to the Senate Social Affairs Committee for further study. I shall continue to follow the bill with interest.

Take care and be well.

Warmest regards.

Yours sincerely,

Hon. Anne C. Cools
Senator

Dear Ms. L.D. Duncan:

I thank you for your letter dated September 24, 2001, received September 28, regarding Bill S-12, An Act to amend the Statistics Act and the National Archives of Canada Act (census records).

While I did not speak in the debate, I did vote for Bill S-12 at second reading in the Senate on March 27, 2001. I am not a member of the Senate Social Affairs Committee that studied Bill S-12, but I have been following the debate. I shall continue to do so. The bill is presently at third reading in the Senate.

Again, I thank you for writing. Do take care and be well.

Warmest regards.

Yours sincerely,
(signed)
Hon. Anne C. Cools
Senator

Dear Senator:

I am interested in researching my family's history and wish to gain access to the 1911 and subsequent census records. It has been estimated that there are some 7.5 million plus Canadians involved in Genealogical research. These citizens, in their quest for their past, for their Canadian heritage, depend heavily upon the information provided in Census reports. Under current legislation, post 1901 Census reports will not be released to the Public after 92 years, as have been Census reports up to and including 1901. I am aware that Statistics Canada will not transfer these records to the National Archives because they claim it would violate Section 17 of the Statistics Act. Strong representations have been made to Mr. Tobin's office as minister in charge of Statistics Canada to change the legislation that controls release of the census.

I have recently learned that there are two alternatives to correct this undesirable situation. The first alternative is to introduce retroactive legislation to permit the release of all census records once they are 92 years old, as now provided for in the privacy regulations. The second alternative is to change the legislation to permit the release of census records STARTING WITH THE 2001 census. The second alternative is completely unacceptable as it would prevent researchers from viewing any census records falling between the years 1911 and 2001. The 92-year-rule gives more than adequate privacy protection to citizens enumerated in the census.

In the past two years, many of those 7.5 million plus voters, including myself, have sent numerous letters and email to their local Members of Parliament, Government Ministers, and Senators expressing their dismay with, and opposition to, this legislation. We have requested the legislation be amended to allow release to the Public of Census records after 92 years, starting with the 1911 Census.

I write to ask the following question: would you vote FOR or AGAINST a Bill supporting release to the Public of Post 1901 Census Records after 92 years, starting with the 1906 Census? I respectfully request and strongly urge you to support the retroactive legislation to permit the release of the 1911 and subsequent census records.

I await your answer to this question at your earliest convenience.

Sharon Walker

Dear Ms Cools:

I am aware that you are 'UNDECIDED' regarding the release of the 1906 and subsequent Census records to the public.

As a Canadian citizen, I do support the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records, and I encourage you to take a strong stand on BILL S-12, which will allow the publishing of the post 1901 Census records and any future census records as well.

I have been researching my families' roots for many years. Without records such as the Census' being available for all to review, it make the search very difficult, if not impossible. These particular census are especially vital to my research and I'm sure to many others, since huge number of our forefathers immigrated during this period.

The Expert Panel acknowledges that these records are important and says they should continue to be made available.

I strongly urge you to support Bill S-12, making the information available to future generations of Canadians.

If you have bery good reasons why you cannot support this Bill, I would appreciate knowing what they are. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Marge MacDonald
Maple Ridge, BC

Hon. Senator Anne C. Cools

Bill S-12, now before the Senate will have an effect on everyone in our families wanting to reasearch these files at some time. It should be (and I believe very strongly) that it IS our right to access thisinformation from 'our' National Archives.

Please take a few moments to read what I have to say in hopes that youwill reconsider the importance of this issue, what it means to CanadianHistory & persons researching their family roots in Canada. May we all stand united on this very important issue.

Please vote YES for release of the Census to "our" National Archives from Stats Canada, as in the past 235 years we family researchers have had access to these most valuable records (after 92 years). The refusal to comply with the recommendation of the panel to do so has a personal effect on my research. I have my family tree from 1851.... Russia to USA, but now have no way of knowing when they came to Canada. The family has so far only been able to guess..... not good enough!! We need proof. Many members of my family have different dates, which leave us all in a quandary.

My children want me to complete this & I want to also. They do not know the names of the relatives as I do. I believe I (WE ALL) owe it to our children to know where the previous generations were, for our personal history & that of Canada. I cannot locate Canadian members in the 1901 census, but obituaries show they were in Alberta in 1905 & died either in 1911 (as some say) or 1919 as others say. Although this is just one of many people's stories I hope you will consider this matter seriously & vote 'yes' for Bill S-12 ~ please for the sake of our heritage of this very young country & for generations to come, again I plead for your support with a 'yes' vote.

How can we instill in our children "Pride in Canada" without showing them how their ancestors pioneered this land?

Thank you
I sign this with great respect,

Lyn Duncan
White Rock, BC

Honourable Sir or Ms.

Greetings.

You may be aware that in the past several years a great many Canadians have been seeking to regain public access to Historic Census Records, 92 years after collection, as allowed by Regulations attached to the Privacy Act. Public access to Census Records after 1901 is currently prevented because of misinterpreted legislation and faulty legal opinions from Justice Canada that cause Statistics Canada to withhold control of these records from the National Archivist.

In November of 1999, then Industry Minister John Manley commissioned a panel of experts to study and make recommendations relating to public access to Historic Census Records. Their Report was submitted at the end of June 2000. It was finally made public, because of an Access to Information Request, on 15 December 2000. Current Industry Minister Brian Tobin, on releasing the Report of the Expert Panel on Access to Historic Census, rejected the recommendations contained therein, stating that “further broad based consultation with all Canadians” was required. It is the considered opinion of this writer that Mr. Tobin has likely not even read the Report of the Expert Panel, and is taking his direction from Chief Statistician Dr. Ivan Fellegi, who opposes public access to these records.

I urge each of you to read for yourself the findings of the Expert Panel on Access to Historic Census Records. It is available in hard copy, or accessible on the Statistics Canada website at:

http://www.statcan.ca/english/census96/finalrep.htm
en français http://www.statcan.ca/francais/census96/finalrep_f.htm

Briefly, the Expert Panel found that a guarantee of perpetual confidentiality was not intended to apply to the census. They felt that it had always been intended that census records would eventually become public and did not view any legislation deemed necessary to do so as breaking of a promise to respondents. The Report recommended allowing public access to all Census records, past, present and future, 92 years following collection. They advised caution only regarding any legislative steps that might be thought necessary to effect release of Census between 1921 and 2001. They suggested that any legislative change felt necessary be done in the National Archives Act rather than in the Statistics Act.

This message is being sent to all Members of the Senate of Canada to ask for individual responses to a specific question regarding how you would vote on a Bill supporting public access to Historic Census Records. An example of such would be Bill S-12, presented to the Senate by the Honourable Lorna Milne. Bill S-12 has received second reading and has been referred to Committee. Bill C-312, identical to S-12, has been presented to the House of Commons by MP Murray Calder.

The Question:

“Would you, as a Member of the Senate of the Parliament of Canada, vote FOR or AGAINST a Bill supporting release to the Public, of Post 1901 Census Records, 92 years after they were recorded? (1911 census information available in 2003, 1921 in 2013, etc.)”

A website dealing with Post 1901 Census has been posted at

http://globalgenealogy.com/Census

Among other things, it contains an explanation of the problem, petitions to download, links to various submissions to the Expert Panel, Bills and Motions relating to Historic Census, extracts from Hansard for the House of Commons and the Senate, and to columns written by myself that have been published in the Global Gazette -- an e-magazine published by Global Genealogy. The website also contains ‘Scoreboards’ showing the position of MPs and Senators relating to the above question.

Your response (or lack thereof) to the question above will be recorded on the Senator’s Scoreboard located on this website. Should you wish to comment, or elaborate on your position, a correspondence log for each Senator is accessible from the Scoreboard. Correspondence to or from you that has been forwarded to me, will be recorded in this log.

The Post 1901 Census web site is sponsored by The Global Gazette, an online magazine serving the genealogical and heritage community. A vast number of e-mails and calls from subscribers and web site visitors, clearly demonstrates that this issue is extremely important to them.

I look forward to your early reply. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net
Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee