Even though China has not allowed adoptions to Quebec since the pandemic, Quebec families still had pending files. For them, the announcement of the end of international adoptions in this country therefore puts an end to all hope.
Around fifteen families are reportedly waiting for news from China, including at least two who had already been matched with a child, estimates Anne-Marie Morel, vice-president of the Association des parents adoptants du Québec (APAQ).
On Thursday, the American press revealed that China had ended its international adoption program, which had effectively been on hold since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the files of several aspiring Quebec parents were still open. Some had even received proposals for children and were waiting for news, explains Mme Morel.
For these families, it is “an immense mourning”. “They have had a photo on their fridge for five years. […] These are families who were not young when they filed their application. [avant 2020]. And now, it’s five more years. So, for them, it’s the end of a parental project.”
Before 2020, China was one of the main countries of origin for international adoptions in Quebec. Of the 134 international adoptions concluded in 2016, 29 children came from this country, making it the leading country of origin—by far—ahead of Colombia (18) and Ukraine (17). “It’s one of the countries where there were still several opportunities to submit adoption applications. There was even more than one organization that accepted applications for China. It was still a country where things worked well,” says Mme Morel.
Has Ottawa done enough?
Affected families were informed of the end of international adoptions in China by the media on Thursday, and it was only this Friday that they received a letter from the Quebec government informing them. The letter from the Secretariat for International Children’s Services specifies that the program ended on August 28, but that the information was not transmitted by the Canadian embassy in China until September 5.
Mme Morel wonders whether the Canadian government could have intervened earlier to ensure that the pending files could be completed in time. “When did Canada receive the letter saying that this would change as of August 28?” she asks. “Was there a window of opportunity to reunite the families? Were there any attempts?”
At her daily press briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing no longer allows foreign adoptions of Chinese children, except for blood relatives and their spouses. She did not explain the decision other than to stress that it was in line with the spirit of international conventions.
Over the decades, many foreign parents have adopted children in China to bring them home. Beijing’s announcement comes as the country’s birth rate has declined: in 2023, the number of newborns in China has fallen to 9.02 million. China’s population also declined for a second straight year last year.
With the Associated Press