Canadian Post-1901 Census News

The Canadian National Archives wants to lock up census records forever, to never make them accessible to the public. Genealogists, historians and other groups are balking at the idea. The whole topic has gone to the legislators in the House of Commons and the Senate.

Gordon A. Watts is a genealogist who has expended hundreds of hours monitoring the actions and organizing efforts for citizens contacting their senators to hopefully influence legislation there. Gordon has now posted a rather lengthy report on the present status of the legislation. You can read his report at http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazce/gazce111.htm

Note also that the Canada Census Campaign mailing list is open and available to everyone. If you have an interest in the topic, you can join in the mailing list by sending an email to
Canada-Census-Campaign-L-request@rootsweb.com with ONLY the word SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and body of the message, with no other text. To join in Digest Mode, send your email to Canada-Census-Campaign-D-request@rootsweb.com

Comments

[Dino (All DIno, All the Time)]

I think that the issue revolves around an official statement made to people when they responded to the census that their responses will be kept confidential (and is still being made in the most current census).

As a genealogist, I hate to see this type of data locked away forever, but if the respondents answered with a promise and assurance of confidentiality, we should honor that. If we fail to honor that bond of trust between individual citizens and the government, this trust will be forever broken.

There are a lot of speeches and position papers on-line in Canada's Privacy Commissioner's website regarding just this issue.

What it comes down to, I guess, is is it OK to say "I know we promised you confidentiality, but that was a long time ago so, we're just going to forget we ever made that promise."

[David Reed]

It's not the National Archives that wants to withhold the post-1901 censuses, it's Statistics Canada and the Privacy Commissioner. The archivist agrees with the historians and the genealogists.

[Bette Wing]

Three of my grandparents came from the Maritimes. Without the archives I would never have learned anything about them. Two of them died before I was born. I find it unthinkable that I couldn't find out about them. I firmly believe the 'promise' of confidentialty is for the life time of the individual. I think the 'life expectancy' statistic should determine when that promise can be lifted. When the enumerators and the individual are both gone, say after 75 years, then the government should be relieved of that promise.

[Dino (All Dino, All the Time)]

I'm not defending Statistics Canada's decision, but a couple points come to mind.

People in my family regularly live past 75 years, maybe a 100 year time cap would be better.

It doesn't matter how we interpret the promise, unles the confidentiality pledge specifically says that the info will only be kept confidential for the life of the respondent, we have to assume that the promise continues on after the respondents are long dead.

Does anyone still use their mother's maiden name as a banking password? I know that my mother's maiden name can be found relatively easily in publicly available census records.