Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to Motion No. 160 on behalf of my colleague from Calgary.
To many, this issue of sealing the 1911 census information forever does not seem like a very important issue and think that maybe the House should spend its time in other areas, but it does raise a concern for a number of people and several of my constituents who have contacted me.
A number of individuals in our society take great delight in seeking information about their family history and look forward to the time when this information will be available to them so they can have a better understanding of their roots in Canada. It was because of an individual who was very concerned in 1906 and again in 1918 that this information could be used for purposes that were not necessarily considered to be good purposes, that they felt for privacy they needed to seal the records.
At that time it probably made sense but that was 85 years ago. Many of the laws on our books have now become redundant. The concern for privacy and respecting the privacy of an individual is a good one and should be considered, but when this information becomes of an age and is no longer current that need for privacy disappears.
Most of the people who would have this information in the 1911 census would be 75 years or older. Many of them are probably not even alive. The question of securing or protecting their privacy becomes less of an issue, if an issue at all.
The intent of the motion is to make an allowance and to perhaps put a timeframe on when this information would be made available, but certainly not to have all the census information from the 1911 census lost forever. That certainly was the concern of some of my constituents who contacted me on this issue. Their concern was that that information, even if they had to wait another 20 years, should be available to the families for historical purposes.
When other countries had to deal with this issue they set a year beyond which the person probably would not be living, although with today's technology it may be hard to put that to the number of years. In Australia and France the census data is released after 100 years. Denmark is saying that 65 years is adequate. The United Kingdom is making efforts to release its data after 100 years.
The precedents are being set internationally that maybe 100 years would be an adequate period of time that any information on an individual, if they lived beyond 100 years, which is very unlikely, at least for most of us, could not be used and harm that person.
With all due respect to an individual's privacy, there is a good cause for Motion No. 160 and for the concern that historians and people who are researching their family histories have, that we set a timeframe, perhaps 100 years. This law is actually 88 years old. Maybe that is time enough and we should say that as of the year 2000 this information will be made available.
Nevertheless, the indication is, from other countries that have dealt with this issue, that 100 years is adequate. In one case 65 years was considered adequate. I think Canada would be justified in putting the timeframe at 90 or 100 years, or whatever, into this legislation and then to redraft it.
We do have a number of statutes in our country that need to be overhauled. I think this certainly is one that has to be looked at and changed.
I think my hon. colleague is looking to all members of the House to support this motion, which states:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should take all necessary steps to release the 1911 census records once they have been deposited in the National Archives in 2003.
I certainly, on his behalf, request that members of the House support his motion.