Madam Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure for me to present yet another petition. I have been rising ever since the House came back this fall at every opportunity to present petitions on behalf of the citizens of Canada.
These petitioners are from Port Colborne, Welland, Niagara Falls and Cambridge, Ontario. They note that on average about 2,000 children are adopted from other countries and are brought to Canada by Canadian families each year. Unlike other countries, like the United States of America and Great Britain, where these new citizens are indeed granted automatic citizenship upon the adoption finalization, these new Canadians, as it were, are not granted that same privilege here in Canada.
Therefore, these petitioners call upon Parliament to immediately enact legislation to grant automatic citizenship to those minors adopted from other countries by Canadian citizens with this citizenship being immediately granted upon the finalization of their adoption.