Mr. Speaker, I met with a few constituents from the riding of Waterloo and also from ridings across the country, and today I present a petition that over 600 individuals have signed in regard to families in Canada that have wrongfully been separated due to what they suggest are flawed child abuse assessments by child abuse pediatricians.
Petitioners note there is no legal requirement for a second, independent medical opinion before children are apprehended. They note there are medical conditions that can mimic signs of abuse, yet differential diagnoses are often not properly considered. They note there is no federal data collection on child abuse cases that are initially substantiated but later found to have had medical explanations.
Petitioners are therefore calling on the House of Commons to require physicians offering medical opinions in federal or interprovincial child protection matters to hold certification. They are requesting that a second, independent expert opinion be offered or mandated, that national guidelines ensuring relevant medical conditions be ruled out before concluding that something is abuse, and that data be collected and published. In addition, because of past incidences, they are also calling for a national inquiry into wrongful apprehensions due to medical misdiagnosis.
I am presenting this petition on behalf of constituents of the riding of Waterloo, parents primarily, as well as from people across the country.