Human Resources committee  Absolutely. Adopt4Life's purpose is truly to break isolation, to make sure that from the moment you embark on your journey to grow your family through adoption to the moment you're presented a profile, and then you're parenting, we're there all along the way. We help provide peer support.

Human Resources committee  Again, I believe Mr. Angus was asking about the time we get the call. Sometimes, for example, we have to commute back and forth. We were based in Toronto, and our children were in the London area. Every weekend, we commuted back and forth. This was for a period of two or three months before they moved in.

Human Resources committee  A year after we grew our family through adoption, I started Adopt4Life. That was the first mandate the community we spoke to asked us for. We officially began publicly advocating in 2018. We have met with several parties and have received the endorsement of everyone, and employers as well.

Human Resources committee  Having enough time to attach to your child and giving your child enough time to bond with you.... It's the most important time. Truly, for me, as an adoptive mom, I spent—I don't know—six months teaching phonetics to my son. I was the Frenchie mom to an English kid. He didn't think I could teach him, but I did.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. l was referring to stats that stated that 21% of interviewed parents doing the study said that the current 35 weeks prevented them from adopting a child with complex needs. Well, a lot of our children who are waiting for permanency do have complex needs and are experiencing loss and trauma, which require so much more time.

Human Resources committee  It was life-changing. It was difficult. There was never an easy moment. There was a lot of joy, but it was sprinkled across the spectrum of the years. Truly, my life would not be the same without them. Even in the hardest moment.... I was asking one of my children, “What would you like me to say to people?”

Human Resources committee  Meeting with any minister is always an honour and a privilege, because we know that the work we're doing to bring forward change is important and requires a lot of time. We had a good meeting. We were surprised and extremely happy to know there is more commitment and support to see this bill come through.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely.

Human Resources committee  No, this is a parity. I think you can find more information and a better understanding through the reports of Western University, but this is not a comparison. We are not taking anything from birth families. It is just providing more attachment because we have not had that attachment time.

Human Resources committee  I don't have scientific data, but what I know and what I was told earlier on is that when a child comes into your home, it takes double the time of the child's age. When my children came into our home, to be solidly attached.... Our children were eight, 11 and 13. For some of them, it was very difficult at the beginning to truly attach.

Human Resources committee  I don't have all the data here. I think you'll have a speaker soon who is more able to speak to this. However, you are right. The trajectory of children aging out of care is more challenging. Their ability to complete university, to create solid attachments as they grow.... It's just difficult because they have been failed by a system that is just not there to support them.

Human Resources committee  There's not a...how can I say? I'm looking for my words. There's not a trajectory that can say you're going to have two months or three months. You can get a call to be presented with a child, and then a few weeks later, a few days later or a few months later, they will be moving in with you.

Human Resources committee  I think it's really important for parents to know they have support and that their jobs are not at risk in growing their family. Knowing that they can count on a system that has their backs so that they can help us develop our children is really important.

Human Resources committee  Yes, they were siblings.

Human Resources committee  Eleven years ago—it's going to be 11 years shortly since we met our children—I would say it was quite rare to grow your family with three older children, but today, sibling groups are normal, and so are older children. We have children across Canada, teens, who are really longing for permanency.