Mr. Speaker, it is national adoption month. One of the most satisfying events in my life has been the adoption of our son Ian. He came into our lives two or three days after his birth, and it was a case of love at first sight.
Early on we had a glimmer that he was going to be one extraordinary human being. He is whip smart, a really nice kid, yet stubborn as stubborn can be. If he did not want to do his homework, wild horses could not make him. Consequently, he never graduated from high school. That was no problem. Ian got a computer job in a jiffy, but came to the realization after a while that being a nerd was boring. To cut to the chase, he graduated at the top of his class at University of Toronto in philosophy and physics and is now completing his doctorate at Cornell.
By now members may have detected that I am an extremely proud father. However, none of our joys would have been possible without the courage of Ian's birth mother. It is hard to imagine the emotional and psychological turmoil of young moms who find themselves with unwanted pregnancies.
I am extremely grateful to Ian's birth mom, a person I have never met, for her courage. I hope that other young mothers will do the same thing. Great sadness and great joy are frequently just a breath away.