I guess you guys can ask me questions then.
My name is Laura Eggertson. I'm an adoptive parent. I'll just tell you briefly that I adopted two children from the child welfare system, both as older children and both aboriginal. If at some point you want to ask me about that, I'd be happy to talk about it.
We have a few recommendations. One is to amend the Employment Insurance Act so that adoptive parents can have 50 weeks of paid leave, just as biological parents do. There will be other speakers who will address that issue.
The second is to work with the Adoption Council of Canada to fund a national awareness campaign about adoption in this country, including the children who are available and what they have to offer parents.
The third is to amend the regulations of the Citizenship Act so that children who are adopted internationally and become Canadians can pass along their citizenship, even if their children are born abroad.
I just have two more.
We would also urge the federal government to convene a meeting of provincial ministers responsible for children and youth, to draft a memorandum of understanding so that it will be easier to adopt children across provincial borders in this country. Right now, it is harder to adopt interprovincially than it is to adopt internationally.
The fifth is to fund Canada's Waiting Children, the only national photo-listing service that connects waiting kids to waiting parents.
Thank you.