Return Our Children Home Canada, with the help of Member of Parliament Randall Garrison, is taking a petition to the Federal Government:
Whereas:
- The Criminal Code recognizes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) as a criminal act detrimental to the abducted child;
- In 1997, a federal committee undertook a series of hearings on IPCA. These resulted in comprehensive recommendations delivered to the government as FAIT Committee Report No. 4 (36-1);
- 25 years later, the issues raised in this report are unresolved. The federal government does not provide adequate support or effective solutions to victims of IPCA;
- In response to a lack of effective advocacy from the Canadian government in their cases, Canadian parents of abducted children have formed an organization named Return Our Children Home Canada; and
- The organization’s goals are to support victimized parents, to engage the government to promote change, to seek justice for abducted Canadian children, and to prevent future abductions.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
- Deliver a renewed mandate to the appropriate committees to update the 1997 FAIT Committee Report and compel the government to respond comprehensively;
- Require that representatives of parents of abducted children participate in this process;
- Designate an ongoing contact within the appropriate committees who will be available to engage with victimized parents at a strategic level;
- Designate April 25th as a day of observation for the victims of IPCA; and
- Articulate a clear policy in support of abducted children’s rights in cases where mechanisms such as the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction are not applicable or not respected.
If you are able, please sign the petition and share it with your networks.