Ask Canadians about their favourites in any other field: literature, music, art, or the most recognised in any field of endeavour such as science or business and you'd hardly expect the top ten to be packed with Canadians. With most Canadians having immigrant ancestors it's not surprising Canadian genealogists have an international perspective. On top of that in fields that are "generic", like genetic genealogy, there's every reason to expect the Rockstars to be from the most populous countries.
Nevertheless the collective ego of some Canadian genealogist-speakers was bruised by the choices of Canadian genealogists. One of the complaints was that not enough Canadian speakers were featured in Canadian genealogy conferences.
As awareness is a step in addressing an issue Lorine McGinnis Schulze of The Olive Tree Genealogy set out to compile a list of Canadian Genealogy personalities and seeking input from her readers. Read her 12 November Update on Where Are the Canadian Genealogists Hiding?
Information just released to OGS branches on the June 3 to 5 OGS 2016 conference at Toronto’s International Plaza Hotel shows a program with many Canadian speakers.
"The invited presenters break down as follows:
- 1 resident of the UK
- 5 Americans
- 1 Canadian living in the US
- 2 Quebecers
- 1 Atlantic Canadian and 1 Western Canadian
- 9 Ontarians from Barrie, Bolton, Oakville, Ottawa, Simcoe, Sudbury, Waterloo
- 9 who live and/or work in the City of Toronto
More than 80% of presenters will be Canadians, with non-Canadians overwhelmingly focused on areas of technology where they enjoy global leadership."
That ratio could change as OGS issues a supplementary call for speakers in the new year to cover late-breaking news. Will Canadian genealogy speakers grasp that further opportunity to demonstrate they are at the leading edge?
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