We received this urgent email from AFABC. With their permission we are posting it on our blog:
Next week, the third reading of Bill C-14, which simplifies the acquisition of Canadian Citizenship for children adopted overseas, is due for debate in Parliament. The adoption community is deeply concerned that further changes proposed to the legislation during third reading will discriminate against adopted children.
For reasons unknown, the Federal Government plans to leave adoptive families with an inferior review process when citizenship applications for their children are denied. Rather than a full appeal on the legal issues via an appeal to the appeal division of the Immigration and Refugee board, families will only have recourse to a "judicial review" in the Federal Court. This is blatant discrimination based on family status and is a violation of the equality provisions of the; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adoptive children shouldn't be treated differently - it's time to speak up for our kids.
Below you will find an edited copy of the email sent by Parent Finders of Canada to Prime Minister Harper. Please copy and paste this letter and send it to your local MP (locate them at MP Link) and to the people below.
1. Prime Minister; Right Honourable Stephen HARPER; pm@pm.gc.ca
2. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Hon. Monte Solberg; Solberg.M@parl.gc.ca
3. Caucus Chairs for each party, with a request that your email be forwarded to all members of their party :
Conservative: Rahim Jaffer - mailto: jaffer.R@parl.gc.ca
Liberal: Ray Bonin Bonin.R@parl.gc.ca
BLOC: Louis Plamondon Plamondon.L@parl.gc.ca
NDP: Judy Wasylycia-Leis Wasylycia-Leis.J@parl.gc.ca
4. Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM)
5. The clerk of the Committee; William Farrell, cimm@parl.gc.ca ask him to copy your email to all Members and Associate Members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
Letter to the Prime Minister
Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
DATE
Re: Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (adoption)
Dear Prime Minister;
It has come to my attention that upon 3rd reading of Bill C-14 next week the Conservative government plans to overturn the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration's recent amendment to the Bill allowing that any decision of the Minister may be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The refusal of a citizenship application under the proposed amendment to Bill C-14 would be subject only to judicial review in Federal Court rather than full appeal on the legal issues to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. This provides for an inferior review process and disadvantages adopted children in the event of a refusal of the application for citizenship. The IAD appeal process is a right to which all other non-adopted citizenship applicants are entitled. The proposed amendment is blatant discrimination
based on family status and is a violation of the equality provisions of the; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Prime Minister I respectfully request that you and the Minister review this issue before Bill C-14 comes up for 3rd reading next week and that you and the Conservative caucus will then rise in support of Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration's recent amendment in Clause 2 in order to ensure adopted children's human right to equality.
I look forward to your earliest response to this urgent and pressing matter.
Yours truly,
Next week, the third reading of Bill C-14, which simplifies the acquisition of Canadian Citizenship for children adopted overseas, is due for debate in Parliament. The adoption community is deeply concerned that further changes proposed to the legislation during third reading will discriminate against adopted children.
For reasons unknown, the Federal Government plans to leave adoptive families with an inferior review process when citizenship applications for their children are denied. Rather than a full appeal on the legal issues via an appeal to the appeal division of the Immigration and Refugee board, families will only have recourse to a "judicial review" in the Federal Court. This is blatant discrimination based on family status and is a violation of the equality provisions of the; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adoptive children shouldn't be treated differently - it's time to speak up for our kids.
Below you will find an edited copy of the email sent by Parent Finders of Canada to Prime Minister Harper. Please copy and paste this letter and send it to your local MP (locate them at MP Link) and to the people below.
1. Prime Minister; Right Honourable Stephen HARPER; pm@pm.gc.ca
2. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Hon. Monte Solberg; Solberg.M@parl.gc.ca
3. Caucus Chairs for each party, with a request that your email be forwarded to all members of their party :
Conservative: Rahim Jaffer - mailto: jaffer.R@parl.gc.ca
Liberal: Ray Bonin Bonin.R@parl.gc.ca
BLOC: Louis Plamondon Plamondon.L@parl.gc.ca
NDP: Judy Wasylycia-Leis Wasylycia-Leis.J@parl.gc.ca
4. Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM)
5. The clerk of the Committee; William Farrell, cimm@parl.gc.ca ask him to copy your email to all Members and Associate Members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
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Letter to the Prime Minister
Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
DATE
Re: Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (adoption)
Dear Prime Minister;
It has come to my attention that upon 3rd reading of Bill C-14 next week the Conservative government plans to overturn the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration's recent amendment to the Bill allowing that any decision of the Minister may be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The refusal of a citizenship application under the proposed amendment to Bill C-14 would be subject only to judicial review in Federal Court rather than full appeal on the legal issues to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. This provides for an inferior review process and disadvantages adopted children in the event of a refusal of the application for citizenship. The IAD appeal process is a right to which all other non-adopted citizenship applicants are entitled. The proposed amendment is blatant discrimination
based on family status and is a violation of the equality provisions of the; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Prime Minister I respectfully request that you and the Minister review this issue before Bill C-14 comes up for 3rd reading next week and that you and the Conservative caucus will then rise in support of Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration's recent amendment in Clause 2 in order to ensure adopted children's human right to equality.
I look forward to your earliest response to this urgent and pressing matter.
Yours truly,
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