Mr. Speaker, as I have done three times already this week, I am presenting a petition on behalf of Canadians concerned about our adoption laws.
This petition was signed by citizens virtually from coast to coast: from Toronto, Ajax, Woodstock, Waterloo, London and Kitchener, Ontario; Pictou, Antigonish and many other smaller communities in Halifax; from Vancouver over on the west coast; and even from my home town of Fort St. John.
The petitioners want Parliament to take note that on average about 2,000 children are adopted from other countries each year and that children adopted by residents of the United States of America and Great Britain are granted automatic citizenship upon adoption, finalization and entry into the country, or on the date of the adoption order respectively.
Therefore the petitioners are seeking Parliament to immediately enact legislation to grant automatic citizenship to those minors adopted from other countries by Canadian citizens with the citizenship being immediately granted upon finalization of the adoption order.