Rough Draft, Samantha Bee style

Anyone who knows me knows I'm opinionated but not political. I vote because men and women died to allow me to do so, but that doesn't mean it's an educated vote or one based on anything more than whose signs I like better. I try, I really do, but I have trouble sorting out all the issues to figure out what really matters. Most of my political education comes from Jon Stewart and his reporters; I especially like Samantha Bee (who IS Canadian). Unlike Samantha Bee, however, the show is American, the politics are American, and I'm left counting pretty signs.

Enter adoption hoops and the bureaucratic bs that goes along with it. As you've read before, I've channelled my frustration over the wait into a fight I can make, namely the fact that as a resident of Nova Scotia my homestudy update is extensive, intrusive and expensive. I can't yell at the CCAA to hurry up - well, I can and do, but they can't hear me - so I'll toot at my local polical figures to try and change the parts of the process I can address.

To that end, my local MLA encouraged me to write a letter requesting a Private Member's Bill. Follows is draft one. Remember... know political no how...

Dear Mr. Estabrooks,


I am writing to request that you bring forward a private member’s bill on the issue of home study updates in the Province of Nova Scotia; specifically the extensive requirements needed to complete said home study update.


As you will remember, I approached you last month asking for your support as an adoptive parent in waiting. Our dossier and application to adopt was sent to China and registered by the China Centre for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) on October 11, 2006. At this time, the wait to be matched to a child is approaching 22 months and is projected to extend to 36-48 months before we receive information about a child offered to us. As part of our application to adopt, we were required to complete a home study, which included a great deal of paperwork that investigated our health, social economic status, criminal past (ensuring lack of one). In Nova Scotia, that home study expires two years after its completion. This WILL happen while we wait for our child to be identified in China, and without updating that home study we are ineligible to receive our child. The bottom line is we are required to update our home study before we receive information about a child in China. To be sure, this is a requirement of Nova Scotia, NOT of the CCAA. Our home study update will be submitted to the Department of Community Services, but will likely not be forwarded to China.


Other provinces in Canada approach adoption processes differently. From my research, it has become apparent that all provinces require some form of “updating” the home study within a period of time between initial submission of application and referral of a child for adoption; the time varies from one province to another. However, there is a vast difference between the specific requirements listed in each province to be completed to update that home study. Many provinces only require a “check in” with the social worker at the time of the referral to see if anything in the family has changed; this is accomplished through a phone interview, during which a couple questions about health and employment, for example are asked and answered verbally. In Nova Scotia, however, we are required to redo all of the paperwork, from medical information, police and child abuse registry checks, to financial statements and employment records. Along with the paperwork, we are expected to participate in further interviews with our social worker. As far as I can determine, the requirements listed by Nova Scotia are much more involved than any other province. As it is dictated now, our home study update will prove to be invasive in our lives and expensive (likely as much as $1000.00); a complication in a process that has been heart wrenching and stressful from the beginning.


As we have discussed, Mr. Estabrooks, I have addressed this issue with other waiting parents who are in the same situation as we find ourselves. They share my frustrations and anger over this added obstacle in the way of finding our children. Between us, we have written MLAs from all three political parties of Nova Scotia and have been received with interest, empathy and support. I believe this issue to be relevant to a large number of Nova Scotia citizens. Therefore, I believe it to be worthy of amendment by the process of a private member’s bill.


Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter. I look forward to hearing from you further.

Look out World - er, Halifax Regional Municipality... Hey, if I get some movement on this maybe I WILL write the CCAA!

N