| Name: | Charlie Watt |
| Political Party: | Liberal |
| Province: | Québec |
| Senatorial Division: | Inkerman |
| Telephone: | (613) 992-2981 |
| Fax: | (613) |
| Email: | wattc@sen.parl.gc.ca |
| Website: |
| Address: | Senate of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OA4 |
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11/03/2004 - email from office of Senator Charlie Watt to Adele Turner. From: Watt, Charlie: SEN [mailto:WATTC@SEN.PARL.GC.CA] Ms, Turner, This is to acknowledge your e-mail to Senator Watt. I wish to inform you that your correspondence will be brought to his attention at the earliest possibility. Therese Langevin -------Original Message-------- Senator Charlie Watt: First of all, I wish you well in your appointed duties as a Canadian Senator from Quebec. It is important to me to find out how you stand on our Canadian history. I want to know whether you wish to preserve or destroy our historical documents. Don't forget, when you vote in the Senate, you vote for all Canadians. You vote will effect present and future generations to come. Do you want that on your record? I need to know HOW YOU stand on the Post 1901 Historic Census? Do you support its preservation or its destruction? I sure hope in the future that it will not be typical of your office to ignore correspondence sent to you or worse still by sending a "thank you for your letter…then stating I have passed on your concerns and interest to Mr. Emerson whose responsibility this belongs or to whomever is your critic". It would be my desire to receive at the very least one reply from the Senators. So far, I have never received any correspondence any Senator. My goal, as a member of the Canada (Save Our) Census Committee, is to draw your attention to the Chief Statistician’s refusal to release control for the 1911 Census records to the National Archivist. According to law, the 1911 Census should have been released June 1, 2003 and to date this has not happened. Legally, the Chief Statistician should immediately transfer all national treasures such as the 92-year-old Canadian Census to the control of the National Archivist for safekeeping and not destroyed as Dr. Ivan Fellegi wishes. You may or not be aware that for the past seven or so years, there has been a public campaign by genealogists and historians have been seeking to regain the public access to Historic Census records after 1901 that has been improperly, (and believed illegally), withheld from public access by Canada's Chief Statistician, Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi. The campaign has sought to regain the same unrestricted access to records after 1906 that has been available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. We have made submissions and provided more than 65,000 petition signatures in an effort to voice our concerns for all who are searching for their historic family information. A history of our struggles with the Chief Statistician is well documented on our website, www.globalgenealogy.com/Census. Included here are findings of an Expert Panel, and the results of cross-Canada Town Hall meetings, which all show agreement that there was misinterpretation on the part of the Chief Statistician with relation to the instructions given to Enumerators. Our law presently states that release of Census data must occur 92 years after collection. During the last session of Parliament there was an attempt to push through Bill S-13, supposedly to ‘correct’ a deficiency, (a deficiency only perceived by the Chief Statistician). Thankfully Parliament closed down in time to prevent passage, which ultimately would have done nothing to correct anything, except add an additional 20 more unnecessary years to the release time, and provide the Chief Statistician with more control. Most other countries in the world vary in release date from 70 to 100 years. Canadian taxpayers fund a Heritage Ministry, and what is more meaningful to our heritage and history than knowing and understanding our origins and ancestry, to say nothing of valuable medical information to be found. Mr. Wayne Easter has stated thus "In this age when criticism is leveled at our educational institutions for not making Canadian history courses readily available to our students, this attempt by Stats Can to further remove Canadians from their recorded historical roots must not be allowed to happen". The only resolution acceptable must be the same unrestricted public access for records after 1906, as is presently available for the existing 240 years of records up to that date. Access to these records is currently permitted under The Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and no legislative changes should be necessary for us to view these or any future records. What is required is a government which will live up to the pre-election promises the Prime Minister made of less interference by bureaucrats, and as well would require the Chief Statistician to obey the laws of the land. To date we have not had such a government. After all, the Chief Statistician does not have the legal right to enact or propose laws. His is an appointed position. Perhaps he has served his usefulness plus he has passed his legal retirement age when it is compulsory for all Canadians to retire. We would request that you introduce a Government Bill which 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 closing, I hope to hear in the near future that an "original" promise voted into law by government will finally be kept. Over the years, so many promises have been made to the Canadian people have been broken by government. A couple of the broken promises made by government are the discontinuation of the GST plus the Income Tax that was to be discontinued after WWI. Neither promise was ever kept when they got voted into office. And those are but two unkempt promises. So PLEASE don’t give me the same old rhetoric about the Right to Privacy. My Dad at age 90 years wasn’t even born when the 1911 Census was conducted. So whose Right to Privacy are you pretending to preserve? It certainly isn’t my Dad’s. So please help us correct this potentially tragic destruction to Canada's past and its history. I would really appreciate receiving confirmation by email whether you support our cause or not so that we can post your reply on our website. Thanking you in advance for your PROMPT reply to this email Yours respectfully, (Miss) Adele J. Turner
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 09/29/2001 - letter to Senator Charlie Watt from Marg MacDonald.
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 07/01/2001 - letter sent to all Senators by Gordon A. Watts.
Honorable Monsieur ou Madame Salutations. Vous devez être au courant que depuis plusieurs années beaucoup de canadiens/nes veulent recouvrer l'accès au public des dossiers des recensements historiques, 92 ans après la collecte des données, comme permis selon les règlements de la Loi sur la Vie Privée. Cet accès au public des dossiers des recensements historiques après 1901 est retardé dans le moment à cause de la législation mal interprétée et des opinions légales fausses de Justice Canada qui sont les causes pour lesquelles Statistic Canada garde le contrôle de ces dossiers de l'Archiviste National. En novembre 1999, le ministre de l'Industrie d'alors, John Manley forma un comité expert afin d"étudier et de faire des recommandations concernant l'accès au public des dossiers des recensements historiques. Leur rapport a été présenté à la fin de juin 2000. Il a été finalement rendu publique, le 15 décembre 2000, à cause de la demande faite sur l'accès à l'information. Le ministre de l'Industrie actuel, Brian Tobin en libérant le rapport du Comité Expert sur l'Accès aux Recensements Historiques rejeta les recommandations a cet égard, incluses dans ce rapport, déclarant "qu'une consultation plus étendue avec tous les canadiens/nes" était requise. Il est de mon opinion que M. Tobin n'a même pas lu le Rapport du Comité Expert, et qu'il suit les directives du Chef Statisticien le Dr Ivan Fellegi, qui s'oppose à rendre public l'accès à ces dossiers. Je vous conseille vivement de lire par vous-mêmes les conclusions du Comité Expert sur l'Accès aux Dossiers des Recensements Historiques. C'est disponible en copie reliée cartonnée, ou accessible sur le site internet de Statistic Canada à l'adresse électronique suivante: http://www.statcan.ca/english/census96/finalrep.htm en français http://www.statcan.ca/francais/census96/finalrep_f.htm Brièvement, le Comité Expert, trouva qu'une garantie de confidentialité à vie ne s'appliquait pas aux recensements. Ils ont compris que c'était toujours l'intention que les dossiers des recensements seraient finalement rendus publics et ils n'ont pas vu la nécessité d'avoir une législation pour le faire, comme brisant une promesse aux défendeurs. Le rapport recommanda de permettre au public l'accès à tous les recensements, passés présents et futurs, 92 ans après la collecte des données. Ils ont recommandé d'être prudents seulement concernant des mesures législatives qu'on pourrait penser être nécessaires d'affecter l'autorisation de rendre public les recensements entre 1921 et 2001. Ils ont suggéré que s'il y avait un changement législatif à faire qu'il soit fait dans la Loi des Archives Nationales plutôt que dans la Loi sur les Statistiques. Ce communiqué est envoyé à chacun des membres du Sénat du Canada afin de leur demander une réponse individuelle sur la question spécifique concernant comment vous voteriez sur un projet de Loi appuyant l'accès au public des Dossiers des Recensements Historiques. Un exemple serait le projet de Loi S-12, présenté au Sénat par l'Honorable Lorna Milne. Le projet de Loi S-12 a reçu une deuxième lecture et a été soumis au Comité. Le projet de Loi C-312, identique à S-12 a été présenté à la Chambre des Communes par le député Murray Calder. LA QUESTION: "Comme membre du Sénat du Parlement du Canada, voteriez-vous POUR ou CONTRE un projet de Loi appuyant l'accès au public, des dossiers des recensements ultérieurs à 1901, 92 ans après la collecte des données? (Les données du recensement de 1911 seraient disponibles en 2003, ceux de 1921 en 2013, etc.)" Vous pouvez visionner le site internet concernant les recensements ultérieurs à 1902 à l'adresse électronique suivante: http://globalgenealogy.com/Census Parmi d'autres choses, il contient une explication du problème, des pétitions à télécharger, des liens aux diverses soumissions du Comité Expert, des projets de Loi et des Propositions concernant les Recensements Historiques, des extraits du rapport de Hansard pour la Chambre des Communes et le Sénat, et des colonnes que j'ai écrites moi-même qui ont été publiées dans le Global Gazette -- un magazine-e publié par Global Genealogy. Le site internet contient aussi "un tableau" montrant la position des députés et des sénateurs concernant la question ci-haut mentionnée. Votre réponse ( ou votre manque de réponse) à la question sera affichée sur le tableau des sénateurs sur ce site internet. Si vous désirez faire des commentaires, ou élaborer sur votre position, un journal de bord est disponible pour chaque sénateur à partir du tableau. Le courrier adressé à vous ou de vous qui m'a été acheminé, sera inscrit dans ce journal de bord. Le site internet des recensements ultérieurs à 1901 est parrainé par "The Global Gazette" un magazine en ligne servant la communauté généalogique et héritage. Un nombre important de courriels et d'appels de souscripteurs et de visiteurs sur le site, indiquent clairement que cette question est extrêmement importante pour eux. J'attends votre réponse bientôt. Merci Sincèrement Gordon A. Watts gordon_watts@telus.net Co-président, du Comité du recensement du Canada P.S. Vous pouvez utiliser le courrier électronique si vous le désirez. 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 |
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