Urgent
Action
(Fifth revised version)
Introduction:
Amnesty International uses its "Urgent Action" to persuade a government to condemn the use of death penalty, torture or inhumane treatment of a prisoner. In these cases, Amnesty International has his members lobby the government concerned. Therefore, in the same line of thought, we are engaging in an "Urgent Action" in order to access our adoption records, without the Birthparents identifying information.
We believe that the only reason which justifies maintaining the confidentiality of adoption records by the government, is be to protect the identity of biological parents. Therefore we are asking for an complete copy of our records, without the Birthparents identifying information.
It would seriously undermine the principles of Democracy if a government were to maintain a veil of confidentiality and secrecy by hiding behind its laws in order to prevent the release of information.
" Any bureaucracy which functions in secret, inevitably, will engender corruption." David Lynch and Mark Frost, Twin Peaks, 1990.
Objectives:
This Urgent Action is intented for provinces or states where it is not possible to obtain a complete copy of the adoption records.
Getting the participation of all persons who were relinquished for adoption, whether they were adopted or not.
Obtaining a complete copy of our adoption records, without the Birthparents identifying information.
Demonstrate that it is possible to obtain a complete copy of our adoption order, without the Birthparents identifying information, just as we can obtain copies of public record (i.e. divorce, criminal, etc.).
Demonstrate that it is possible to obtain a complete copy, from Youth Center (Adoption services or whatever names they give themselves), of our adoption records, without the Birthparents identifying information, just like it is for other personal records held by the government, as, for example, our records in Humans Resources or our incomes taxes records, etc…
Demonstrate that it is possible to obtain any other records concerning our adoption, without the Birthparents identifying information.
Demonstrate, if such is the case, that it is possible to obtain our original birth name that we had before the adoption order.
Action to be taken:
1) We ask you to rewrite the sample letter addressed to the Executive Director of the Youth Center (Centre jeunesse) and to make a similar request. In the case of adoptees, we also ask you to rewrite the sample letter addressed to the Clerk of the adoption’s registry (Greffe de l’adoption) of the Youth Court (Chambre de la jeunesse) and to make a similar request. Send your letters by registered mail.
Guidelines:
Header of the letter: Write the name of your town, dated, and write “Registered mail, without prejudice”.
Recipient: Send the first letter to the Executive Director of the Youth Center from the region where your adoption’s record is located. Send the second letter to the Clerk of the adoption’s registry (Greffe de l’adoption) of the Youth Court. Obtain the information from Communication Québec.
Les Centres jeunesse de Montréal
Centre de protection de l'enfance et de la jeunesse (N.B. toujours écrire au directeur)
Service d'adoption
1001, boulevard de Maisonneuve Est
Montréal, Québec
H2L 4R5
Tél.: (1-514) 896-3153Pour les autres région du Québec, consultez Communication Québec et demandez les coordonnées du Centre jeunesse de votre région ou consultez le site des Centres de protection de l'enfance et de la jeunesse
Letter etiquette: Use full titles and formal letter writing techniques.
Content: Use the sample text outlined in the examples below.
Sender: Write and sign your last name, first name and address. Do not include your phone number; that will force them to respond. In any case, if they phone you, demand a written answer. In order to facilitate the search of your records, specify your date of birth and other significant known information ( for ex. Your name at birth or your adoption order number). You can inscribe (optional) that you are a supporter of the site Adoption in Québec : The Right to Know. End your letters with “Copy sent to the ministers concerned and to the media. N.B.: The word «webmaster» mean responsible of a web site.
2) We ask you also to rewrite the sample letter addressed to the Minister of Justice and the Minister for Health, Social Services and Youth Protection and to make a similar request. Send both of these letters by registered mail.
Acknowledgment:
If you receive an answer, please communicate with us by email. And if possible send us a copy of your answer.
Complaint Process:
After you have received an answer from the Youth Center Head Office:
1) If your are not satisfy with the answer giver by the Youth Centers Head Office, you will have to fill an official written complaint to the Bureau of Complaints (Burau des Plaintes) of the Youth Centers of where you have wrote.
2) If you are still not satisfy with the answer of the Bureau of Complaint, you will have to fill a written complaint to the Health Regional Office (Régie Régional de la Santé) of the concerned region.
3) If your are not satisfy with the answer of the Health Regional Office, you will have to fill a written complaint to the Commisary of Complaints of the Health Regional Office (le Commissaire aux plaintes de la Régie Régionale de la Santé).
4) After all that, if your are still not satisfy, the only alternative seem to be the Court.
At each stage, the maximun delay to answer you is 45 days. if you didn't received any answer in that delay, you can complaint for that reason.
Complementary information:
If you like to have more information on this Urgent Action please read: the text of Andrew Sass (pseudonym) of British Columbia who took a similar action (This excellent text contains many pages. You will need Word 2000 and it may take a few minutes to download it). You can also read: the 1995 Court’s Order of the Freedom of Information Commission of British Colombia on the access of adoption’s record, without the Birthparents identifying information.
New Developements:
We have received a few comments on our first version of our text for the Urgent Action. Following these comments, we have rewrote our Urgent Action.
Thank you for your cooperation