Implement recommendations on forced adoptions

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to implement the Senate report's four recommendations, starting with a formal public apology in Parliament. The government responds it has acknowledged the report and notes provincial jurisdiction.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Over 350,000 unmarried, young, pregnant women were victims of forced adoption practices during the postwar decades. Canada’s postwar adoption policies have caused irreparable harm and trauma to these unmarried mothers, their children, and families; The Senate Report “The Shame Is Ours, Forced Adoption of The Babies of Unmarried Mothers in Post-War Canada” was issued in July 2018 and called for a formal public apology from the Government of Canada to be delivered in Parliament within one year of the report’s release; The Shame Is Ours Senate Report issued four recommendations, none of which have yet to be acted upon; Laws surrounding adoption records have prevented many of these children from knowing their own identities; The shame and secrecy surrounding these forced adoptions has resulted in the prevention of these mothers and children receiving counselling and support to deal with their trauma; The lack of support available to families during the reunification process often results in further harm subsequently leading to the unsuccessful reunification of families; The Australian Government issued an apology on March 21st 2013, the Irish Government on October 30th, 2020, Scotland on March 22, 2023, and Wales on April 25, 2023. We, the undersigned, Residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to take immediate steps to implement the four recommendations of The Shame is Ours Senate Report beginning with a formal public government apology to be delivered in Parliament.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario Signed by Annie Koutrakis The Government of Canada recognizes the significant and lasting impact that the historic practice of forced adoptions had on individuals and families across Canada. The Government of Canada has formally acknowledged the work of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology’s on the report The Shame Is Ours: Forced Adoptions of the Babies of Unmarried Women in Post-War Canada. The Government Response may be found here: https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/421/SOCI/reports/ForcedAdoptions_e.pdf. Under Canada’s Constitution, the provinces have responsibility for adoption. Each province and territory has its own legislative scheme within its jurisdiction, and since the time period reviewed in the Senate report, legal protections have been created to ensure the elimination of forced adoptions. Since it has been established that the separation of children from their parents falls under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the right to security of the person, any forced separation of a child and parent must comply with the principles of fundamental justice. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Canada has been a Party since 1991, also provides that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except where competent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. The Government of Canada is also a signatory to the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. These conventions, through principles and agreed standards, contribute to the objective of protecting the rights of women and children in Canada and around the world. The Government of Canada remains committed to upholding the principles enshrined in these conventions through our on-going efforts to support women and children in Canada. This includes working with provinces and territories through the Continuing Committee of Officials on Human Rights, which is the principal intergovernmental body responsible for consultation and collaboration among governments in Canada with respect to international human rights treaties.