CANADA-CENSUS-CAMPAIGN-L Archives

From: "Muriel M. Davidson" <>
Subject: [CCC] For the Record: Keep Census Open
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 23:47:56 -0400

Posted on <http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/7843/poll.html>;

Following is the text of the article by Dean Jobb that appeared in the
Halifax Sunday Herald: January 5, 2000.

FOR THE RECORD: KEEP CENSUS OPEN
By Dean Jobb

MY BRANCH of the Jobb family came to Nova Scotia from Ireland in 1823.
So says the document granting land in Wallace, Cumberland County, to my
great-great-great grandfather, one Thomas Job.

He signed the paper with a shaky X, which explains why some of my ancestors
felt free to add another "b" to the surname while others thought it was cool to
tack on an "e." But that's another story and not the point of this dip into my
family history.

Based on the land grant, I could assume Job or Jobb or even Jobe is an Irish
name and that I should head to Ireland if I want to trace my roots further.

But a census taken many years later tells a different story. In response to a
question on country of birth, Thomas Job identified himself as a Scot.
Ireland, it turns out, was only a stopover on the way to the New World. We
Jobbs are as Scottish as any MacDonald. Luckily for me, my family has been
in Canada long enough to show up in the records of censuses conducted
before 1911. But privacy concerns are threatening to make it impossible
for historians, genealogists and other researchers to access newer
instalments of this treasure trove of information.

The issue is access to the detailed records complied as census takers did
the rounds, poking into citizens' private business with questions about age,
family structure, marital status, ethnic origin, religion and occupation.

There was even a politically incorrect query to determine whether anyone
in the household was "blind, deaf or dumb, crazy or lunatic, idiotic or silly."

The data collected on population trends has always been a valuable
public resource. The detailed records identifying each respondent, however,
have been kept secret, by law, for 92 years, then released through the
National Archives. So researchers who mine these records to link families or
better understand our history were expecting to get their hands on the
1911 census in the year 2003.

The process has been derailed by the federal Privacy Act, which stipulates
any guarantee of privacy made to collect data must be honoured. Those
polled for the census since 1906 have been promised their answers will
remain confidential.

Statistics Canada - faced with the letter of the law and fearing respondents
will clam up for the 2001 count and future censuses - refuses to make the
records public, even though few 1911 respondents are alive to assert their
privacy rights.

The decision has created a minor but nasty political storm. Genealogists
are a feisty, well-connected bunch and they have used their formidable
presence on the Internet to press for access. Their letter-writing campaign
to MPs and senators has put the issue on the political agenda.

A private bill to open the 1911 and subsequent censuses, put forward
by a Liberal senator from Ontario, Lorna Milne, is expected to be debated
in the Senate next month.

"The records of the 20th century," she argues, "should not be forever
concealed from the public's eyes." [Her Bill, S-15 has had Second Reading]

In response, the federal government has struck a blue-ribbon panel of
scholars to see if a compromise can be reached that protects privacy
while providing some measure of access. Their report is due by the end of
May.

Genealogists argue at least the basic facts should be accessible, so people
can trace their family tree. But it's tough to know where to draw the line -
medical researchers, for instance, could better study the incidence of disease
by examining the complete records.

Surely the 92-year waiting period is sufficient to protect the privacy of
individuals.

The United States, which operates with a 72-year waiting period, is about
to release its 1930 census with no public outcry.

The sensible solution is to continue to open all census records, so we can
better understand the history of our families, our communities and our
country. Everybody has a right to know if any of their ancestors were ever
classified as "silly."

Staff Reporter Dean Jobb's column appears every week in The Sunday Herald.
E-mail:
=======================
We sincerely hope Dean Jobb writes an updated column very shortly, but
- we have yet to learn the Report of the Expert Panel
- many politicians will not state YES or NO due to lack of this report
- there may be a change in minister responsible for census

Many thanks, to Dean Jobb, for above

Muriel M. Davidson <>
http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census/index6.htm
Canada Census Committee

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