Editorial
 Humboldt Journal
 June 20, 2002
 By Bill Hancock
 b.hancock@sk.sympatico.ca

 Almost everyone has a family member who keeps track of the family tree.
 Perhaps it is an elderly aunt, perhaps a younger person, but without
 exception there is always someone who seems to know almost everything
 about past relatives - where they came from, what they did, how many
 kids they had, what they did for a living, even how many cows they
 owned. Occasionally a person discovers that some previously forgotten
 family member was a bit of a troublemaker, like one rural family who
 found they were related to Pretty Boy Floyd, the notorious gangster. It
 was a source of entertainment for the family for years and it provided
 the occasional comedic moment whenever someone feared one of the kids
 might end up the same way if he didn't learn to drive a little slower.
 Good or bad news for families looking into their pasts, the point is
 that the information was important to them and there is no logical
 reason why anyone would want to intentionally prevent them from finding
 it.

 That's precisely what's happening, however. During the course of talking
 recently with Humboldt citizens who are descendants of British Home
 Children, a point was brought up that efforts to research their own
 families was being hampered by Canada's Chief Statistician, Dr. Ivan P.
 Fellegi, who refuses to release post-1901 Census information on the
 excuse that a promise was made never to release or reveal any of the
 information collected. There's just one small problem - through court
 actions and committee testimony, no evidence has been presented that a
 promise was ever made.  That apparently doesn't matter to Dr. Fellegi,
 who continues to resist releasing the Census to the National Archivist.
 Fellegi's obstinacy means all Canadians, not just the millions of
 descendants of Home Children, are denied access to information about
 their own predecessors.

 England, Scotland and Wales release their Census information after 100
 years and the United States releases its information after 72 years so
 families can discover their own heritage. In Canada, Parliament decided
 years ago that 92 years was sufficient for keeping secret how many cows
 and chickens Uncle Herbert and Aunt Sally had way back when, yet Dr.
 Fellegi seems to be the only person standing in the way of full
 disclosure. In effect, a bureaucrat is overruling the will of Parliament
 in letter and spirit.

 This unnecessary, embarrassing fiasco is making our country look
 ridiculous to outside observers and Canadian citizens alike, and the
 majority of MPs and Senators who support access to post-1901 Census
 information should be raising sheer hell about it. They would be wise to
 act quickly before this matter becomes an even larger issue.      BH