| Name: | Ms. Colleen Beaumier |
| Political Party: | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Constituency: | Brampton West |
| Province: | Ontario |
| Telephone: | (613) 996-2878 |
| Fax: | (613) 995-6796 |
| Beaumier.C@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | Unit 16, 13 Fisherman Drive Brampton, Ontario L7A 2X9 |
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10/12/2004 - email to MP Colleen Beaumier from Muriel M. Davidson. From: "Muriel M. Davidson" Hello Colleen:-- While checking the scoreboard re your constituency office, I also noticed you have not replied since 2001. At that time we still had Murray Calder with us. Senator Lorna Milne is again working hard toward census release, petitions are arriving daily and we will shortly have a new House of Commons person. As Senator Milne is one of your constituents, I feel she would like to know you are still in agreement with census release. Muriel M. Davidson muriel_davidson@sympatico.ca 08/29/2004 - letter sent to MP Colleen Beaumier from Gordon A. Watts 29 August 2004 Ms. Colleen Beaumier Dear Ms. Beaumier Congratulations on your recent election as a Member of Parliament. To have the trust and respect of those who voted for you is a great honour. Members who have been re-elected will be aware of an issue affecting a great many Canadians that seek their personal ancestry through research of Historic Census records. Newly elected Members may not yet be aware of this issue. It has been estimated that in excess of 7.5 million Canadians have an interest in genealogy and family history. These individuals seek to regain the same public access, with no added conditions or restrictions, to 92-year-old records of Census after 1906 that is currently available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. Access to Census records after 1906 is prevented at this time because of the (believed illegal) policy of a federal civil servant - Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi - Chief Statistician of Canada. The Library and Archives of Canada Act (and it's predecessor) has designated to the Librarian and Archivist the authority to determine what records of government are of archival or historical value and that shall be deposited in the National Library and Archives. Librarian and Archivist Ian E. Wilson determined that schedules of Census have archival and historical value. He declared them to be a National Treasure. He requested the Chief Statistician to return care and control of the records in question to his authority. Dr. Fellegi denied that request. The Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Privacy Regulations, make specific provision for personal information collected through Census or Survey to be made available to any person or body for purposes of research, 92 years following collection. The legislation assumes these records to be under the care and control of the National Archivist. By refusing to return care and control of the records in question to the Librarian and Archivist for subsequent public access the Chief Statistician has acted in deliberate contravention of the Library and Archives of Canada Act, the Access to Information Act, and the Privacy Act. He has usurped the authority of the Librarian and Archivist to determine what governmental records are of archival or historical value and that shall be deposited in the Library and Archives of Canada. In dictating policy instead of following policy determined through legislation passed by Parliament he has usurped the authority of that body. Do you believe that any Federal bureaucrat, regardless of how highly placed or regarded, is above the Laws of Canada? Do you believe that a civil servant has the power to dictate policy that contravenes legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada? The Access to Information and Privacy Acts are complementary Acts born of the same Bill debated and passed by Parliament. Do you believe the parliamentarians who passed this legislation would knowingly include clauses in one Act, the effect of which would be to totally nullify clauses in the other? If your answer to any of these questions is 'NO' we ask that you support our efforts to regain the same public access - with no added restrictions or conditions - to Historic Census records after 1906 that is currently available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. We seek nothing new. We seek only that which current legislation states we are entitled to - access that we have had in the past but is currently (believed illegally) withheld from us by the Chief Statistician of Canada. We ask that you call upon the Government of Canada to immediately direct the Chief Statistician of Canada to obey the Laws of Canada. We ask that he be directed to return care and control of schedules of Historic Census to the Librarian and Archivist of Canada for subsequent public access in accordance with the Access to Information and Privacy Acts. We ask further that you ensure continued public access to Historic Census records by seeking a government Bill that 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 reading my letter you may not feel any obligation to respond to someone living outside your electoral riding. The votes you cast in Parliament, however, affect all people living in Canada and in that respect your constituency is all of Canada. Considering this, even though I do not reside in your riding I would greatly appreciate your personal response to my letter. Your response, stating your support (or otherwise) of the access we seek, will be posted to your Correspondence Log on the Post 1901 Census Project website. It will be available for viewing by your constituents on the MPs Scoreboard at www.globalgenealogy.com/Census Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and for your consideration of this very important issue. Respectfully Gordon A. Watts 04/14/2001 - email to MP Colleen Beaumier from Muriel M. Davidson. From: "Muriel M. Davidson" To: Colleen Beaumier, MP Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 9:26 PM Subject: Happy Easter Wishes Dear Ms. Colleen Beaumier:- I checked the Canada Census Member of Parliament Scoreboard at http://www.globalgenealogy.com/Census/Score3.htm I notice the last letter received from you was back in 1999 via a telephone conversation with Gordon Watts, which was prior to this last Session of Parliament and before the Nov. 27 election. Your GOLD tick shines brightly -- we are hoping for your continued support re Senator Lorna Milne's Bill S-12 and Mr. Murray Calder's C-312, identical in wording with Senator Milne's past the Second Reading and Mr. Calder has recently had First Reading. Looking for your support, Muriel M. Davidson Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee 06/10/99 - message from Gordon Watts regarding a telephone conversation with MP Colleen Beaumier:
As a result of an e-mail I sent to Colleen Beaumier, M.P. for Brampton West - Mississauga, I received a telephone call from her this afternoon. My e-mail, referring to her letter to Muriel Davidson, had requested clarification re: how she would vote on a Bill to release Post 1901 Census records. The tone of her letter had been supportive of release, however she had indicated that she would support any initiative put forth by Sarkis Assadourian. During our conversation she indicated that until receiving my e-mail she had been unaware that Mr. Assadourian had responded negatively to the question of how he would vote, assuming that any initiative by him would support release of Census records. The end result of our conversation was that Ms. Beaumier would support a Bill to release Post 1901 Census records to the Public. She indicated she would send an e-mail to that effect but wished to wait pending clarification of some points from Statistics Canada. Ms. Beaumier further indicated that if she had other questions about the Census issue, she would contact me again. Gordon A. WATTS 06/08/99 e-mail from Gordon A. Watts to Colleen Beaumier, M.P:
Brampton West-Mississauga Room 223 West Block Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Ms. Beaumier. In letter to Muriel Davidson you wrote: <<If you have Senator Milne interested in your issue, you are in capable hands. In the meantime, I must tell you that I have not had one inquiry from any of my constituents regarding this matter. However, I will support any action that your Member of Parliament, Sarkis Assadourian, initiates on this issue. >> While the general tone of your letter to Muriel gave the impression that you were supportive of the Release to the Public of Post 1901 Census records, you also indicated you would support "any action that...........Sarkis Assadourian, intitiates on this issue." Mr. Assadourian however, has indicated that he would not be prepared to initiate a Bill to obtain Release of Post 1901 Census Records, and in fact would vote AGAINST any such Bill. Would you be so kind as to clarify your position on this matter, stating clearly whether you would vote FOR or AGAINST a Bill to Release Post 1901 Census Records to the Public. Your letter or e-mail responding to this question, and any comments you would care to make regarding this issue will be posted to your correspondence log on the Post 1901 Census Project internet page at http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census/index.htm This letter and the fact that it had not been answered (if that is the case) will be posted to your correspondence log as well. I find it interesting that you state none of your constituents have inquired about the Census issue as for some months there have been many letters written to MPs. Perhaps your staff has been screening them and not passing them on. I am personally aware of at least two email and one snail mail letter that have been directed to ALL MPs regarding this issue. For your information, a Canada wide petition supporting Release of Post 1901 Census records to the Public is currently being circulated. This petition will be presented to the House of Commons in October 1999. I await your answer at your earliest convenience. Thank you. Sincerely, Gordon A. WATTS gordon_watts@bc.sympatico.ca Port Coquitlam, BC
A CHALLENGE IS ISSUED There are eight (8) elected members of the House of Commons from the Peel County area, three (3) of whom are from Brampton: 1. Mr. Sarkis Assadourian (L) - Brampton Centre 2. Mrs. Colleen Beaumier (L) - Brampton West - Mississauga 3. Mr. Gurbax Malhi (L) - Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale 4. Mr. Murray Calder (L) - part of his riding includes Peel Co. 5. Ms. Albina Guarnieri (L) - Mississauga East 6. Mr. Steve Mahoney (L) - Mississauga West 7. Mrs. Carolyn Parrish (L) - Mississauga Centre 8. Mr. Paul Szabo (L) - Mississauga South Singly, an elected member can do very little, unless they have been given an appointive position of authority or have backing from others. As an elected member, you, by becoming a candidate and being elected, are in Ottawa to serve your constituents to the best of your respective abilities. This brings me to a point of grave concern across Canada:- One of the most important items of a researcher's life, the main tools of research, are the Canadian census records. Under present law, the Privacy Act, all Post-1901 census records could be kept from us forever UNLESS the law of 1906 could be set aside to permit release of 1911 and subsequent records at 10-year intervals, starting in 2003. By working together, the three members from Brampton and five other members of Peel County could show a solid front if a Private Member's Bill were to be introduced. Gordon A.Watts, a member of our Canada-wide group, will find wording and date of any in Hansard. There are petitions being signed from coast to coast requesting the 2003 release of the census records for personal family research, including genetic history. Should this group of eight decide to assist researchers, who are also voters, group members will offer its support with petitions and letters. We suggest you check the new CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN site: http://globalgenealogy.com/census To date, the only "voice" speaking on our behalf re release of the 1911 and subsequent census records has been that of Honourable Lorna Milne (L), Senator, also from Brampton. We hope you will offer her your collective support. Sincerely yours, a Brampton researcher and voter, Muriel M. Davidson
A web site has been posted at http://globalgenealogy.com/census to record MP's responses, so that those who are interested, will know the position that their elected representative has (or has not expressed) on the issue. Also included on the web site, is a correspondence log for each Member of Parliament, which will contain responses to this e-mail plus any other correspondence from the MP. The Question: "Would you, as an elected Member of the House of Commons 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)" If you would like to expand on your position, your entire response will be posted to your individual correspondence log. The Post 1901 Census web site is sponsored by Global Genealogy & History Bookstore. A vast number of e-mails and calls from subscribers and web site visitors, clearly demonstrates that this issue is extremely important to them. Many readers have expressed that their current MP's position on this issue will weigh heavily in their decision process during the next election. |
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