Mr. Speaker, today is the United Nations International Day of Families. The theme for this year is “Changing Families: Challenges and Opportunities”.
Today many Canadian families open their hearts to adopt a child. Some adopt children from overseas. Last Friday the Prime Minister told Canadians the compelling story of one of my constituents, Dr. Agnes Lee. Six years ago, Dr. Lee and her husband adopted Katie from China. They opened up their hearts and their home to their new addition, and to their family.
Canada, however, was not as open, at least not in terms of getting Katie her citizenship. It took 14 long months for Katie to become a Canadian citizen. This is simply not acceptable. Foreign adopted children should not have to wait so long to become Canadian citizens. Our Conservative government has committed to making the citizenship process easier for children adopted abroad by Canadians.
Today, on International Day of Families, the government is standing up for one of our most precious resources, Canadian families.