EXTRACTS FROM HANSARD -- PROCEEDINGS OF CANADA'S SENATE :
The following extract has been taken from Hansard Records of Canada's Senate:
Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
2nd Session, 36th Parliament,
Volume 138, Issue 16
Monday, December 6, 1999
The Honourable Gildas L. Molgat, Speaker
Statistics Canada
Census Records-Canadian as Ethnic Origin-Effect on Marketing Possibilities
Hon. Lorna Milne: Honourable senators, on a completely different and much more light-hearted subject, lately I have been learning from the opposition and from Question Period to read my morning papers more thoroughly. What I discovered a week ago warrants a statement rather than a question and, in fact, a statement of outrage.
The National Post reported that a debate is going on in Statistics Canada as to whether census respondents would be allowed to write in "Canadian" as their ethnic background. This privilege was granted to us rather grudgingly for the first time in 1991. By 1996, common sense had prevailed at Statistics Canada and "Canadian" was cited as an example of ethnic origin.
However, apparently too many of us - 5.5 million in fact - have dared to list ourselves as Canadian. That fact is upsetting the marketing firms who buy data from Statistics Canada. I suspect that many of us are in the same boat as I am and cannot define our ethnic origins in one word. Most people whose families have been in this country for more than one generation cannot claim any single ethnic origin, so I need some help from my fellow senators. What am I? How should I describe myself? I refuse to accept "mongrel"! My background on my father's side is, in alphabetic order, English, German, Irish, Scottish and an always-vaguely-identified lady who I believe was probably Métis.
On the other hand, my mother is of "pure" British stock. Let us not forget that pure British stock is a good mix of Pict and Celt 300 years of Roman occupation that probably accounts for my mother's dark hair and her olive complexion - not to mention successive waves of Anglos, Jutes, Saxons, marauding Vikings and conquering Normans. Two of my grandchildren have European ancestors who came to North America in the early 1600s. Fifteen generations of that family have been born and raised on this continent. So what are we? Chopped liver? How are we to describe ourselves? I believe that we are proud Canadians of typically Canadian mixed heritage.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
Senator Milne: This vigorous and thriving mélange of backgrounds which so many of us here have inherited from our ancestors, is what makes us truly Canadian. I want to add that Canada is one of the very few countries in the world where people of such mixed heritage are accepted and can stand proudly. I say I am a typical Canadian and I say "shame" to Statistics Canada for even considering putting marketing possibilities ahead of allowing Canadians the freedom of choice to describe themselves as they wish. Shame!
Census Records
Presentation of Petition
Hon. Lorna Milne: Honourable senators, I have the honour to present a petition with 139 signatures collected this past summer by members of the Yarmouth County Historical Society Museum and Archives. It reads:
We the undersigned wish to express our concern over the decision by Statistics Canada not to transfer the 1911 and subsequent census records to National Archives so that they may be released to the public 92 years after the taking of the census as provided for in Section 6 of the Privacy Regulations.
We wish to have access to ALL census records so that we may continue to use this valuable resource to explore our roots, learn about our ancestors and write about them in family histories for our children and our grandchildren to see. We believe this is important for our societal values and will add to our Canadian heritage.
Sponsored by:
43 Main Street South, Campbellville, Ontario, Canada L0P 1B0
ph. 905-854-2176 or 1-800-361-5168 (toll-free North America)
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