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From: "Muriel M. Davidson" <>
Subject: Post 1901 Census - Petition Totals PLUS Important Information
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 23:03:18 -0400


A bit long -- but very important - Muriel M. Davidson
---------------------

Greetings All

I have just finished collating the petitions for the House of Commons
that I have received since 23 February 2002. The break down is as
follows:
Province Previous Current Total
==============================
BC 2724 162 2886
AB 5422 348 5770
SK 840 236 1076
MB 447 26 473
ON 2950 922 3872
PQ 807 178 985
NB 541 30 571
NS 745 269 1014
PE 99 0 99
NF 260 0 260
YT 7 0 7
NT 0 0 0
NUN 0 0 0
===============================
Totals 14842 2171 17013

I will be presenting these 2171 signatures to MP Murray Calder while I
am in the Ottawa area to attend the first symposium for the Canadian
Genealogy Center at the end of the month.

Senator Lorna Milne has, as of 8 October 2002, presented 20,109+
Canadian and Non-Resident signatures on petitions to the Senate since
the election of November 2000. Prior to the election she had presented
more than 6000 signatures.

This brings the total number of signatures on our petitions alone, since
the November 2000 federal election, to 37,122+

Add to this figure the estimated 16,000 signatures on petitions, letters
and email to MPs, and submissions to the Expert Panel on Access of
Historical Census Records sent prior to the election of November 2000,
we achieve a total of 59,122+ signatures sent to Ottawa.

This figure does not include additional unknown numbers of signatures on
letters and email sent prior to, or following the November 2000
election, or on petitions not directed through either myself or Muriel
before or since that election. Neither does it include signatures on
petitions that may have been sent by groups other than the Canada Census
Committee. We have no means of tracking numbers of letters or email
sent.

The announcement on 3 October 2002 that the government intends to bring
down legislation relating to public access of Historic Census records
does not mean that our efforts are finished. It remains to be seen if
such legislation will meet the needs and concerns of those seeking such
access. We must keep on top of things to ensure that it does..

We continue to have a need for signatures on petitions. Without knowing
the numbers of letters and email sent to individual MPs and Senators,
signatures on petitions are the only thing we can point to to show
support for our objective. PLEASE send your petitions through Muriel
and myself. We are aware of petitions that have been sent directly to
some MPs and Senators that have not been presented to their respective
Houses. Signatures on these petitions are lost to us. Petitions sent
through us are assured of being presented.

We need also, to continue seeking support from those MPs and Senators
that have given non-committal responses or who have not responded to our
questions. Check the Scoreboards on the Post 1901 Census Project
website, at the URL following my signature for the tally of MPs and
Senators, and their stated positions. With the award today, of a gold
tick of support to MP Joe Jordan, 165 MPs have to date stated their
support for access to these records so vital to the interests of
genealogists and historians. 37 Senators have similarly shown their
support.

If your own MP or Senator is one of those who do not currently have a
gold tick of support, send them a brief, polite request for that
support. Remind them that what we seek is public access to Census
Records after 1901 on exactly the same basis as we currently have for
235 years of Census records up to 1901.

Happy Hunting

Gordon A. Watts
Co-Chair, Canada Census Committee
Port Coquitlam, BC

http://globalgenealogy.com/Census
en français http://globalgenealogy.com/Census/Index_f.htm





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