Quebec seeks to accelerate Haitian adoptions

The Quebec government is asking Haitian authorities to expedite the adoption process for 98 children, the province’s Minister for Social Services, Lise Thériault, said Wednesday.

The province is ready to send a special team to bring the children to Quebec – as early as this weekend, Theriault said.

The children — 45 of whom are missing only a visa and passport, and another 53 who are still waiting for the stamp of approval from the Haitian government — have already been paired with Canadian parents, Thériault said.

Talks are ongoing with the Haitian consulate in Montreal to allow all of the children to be brought to Canada immediately, Thériault said.

"Usually the parents go get the children themselves, but with 98 children and the complexity of logistics and the lack of infrastructure — that is impossible to do," she said.

"We are putting a team together and if necessary, we will do it ourselves," Theriault said.

The Quebec government has put a hold on any new adoptions from the earthquake-stricken nation, she said.

"We need time to make sure all the children … are real orphans," Thériault said.

The move is in line with international policies to avoid the trafficking of children, the minister said.

She cited the example of the 2004 tsunami, when she said the majority of the children separated from their parents were later reunited with family members, she said.

The federal government is also acting to expedite the adoption process, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Wednesday.

"I’ve directed my officials to issue temporary resident permits, which is an extraordinary measure, to allow these children to enter Canada as quickly as possible," Kenney said.

Parents anxious

But the promises are not enough for parents awaiting the arrival of their adopted children, including Montrealer Jayne Engle-Warnick.

Engle-Warnick watched as hundreds of other Haitian orphans were airlifted to adoptive parents in the U.S and the Netherlands.

They included 10 children from the orphanage where her own adopted three-year-old daughter, Esther, continues to wait.

"We don’t understand what the hold up is now," Engle-Warnick said. "Every day is so precious."

"Every day that the Canadian government waits there is a higher risk that our children are going to be hurt — are going to come to Canada sick, or possibly even die," Engle-Warnick said. "We need to move now."