General Information
- Controlling Legislation: Adoption Act, consolidated to March 31, 2000
- Vital Statistics Act, consolidated to March 31, 2000
- Adoption Act Review Report, August 22, 2018
- Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
Political, Search, and Reunion
- Canada Open Records (Facebook) (Bastard Nation Partner)
Access
Age of access: N/A
Adult adoptee access to original full name: Conditional – Subject to the file indicating the adoption is open Section 47(4)
Adult Adoptee access to their OBC in full: Conditional – Subject to the file indicating the adoption is open Section 47(4)
Adult adoptee access to other identifying information about their natural parents: No, but the government will notify their adoptive parents, even though the adoptee is an adult. Section 49(3)(b)
Natural parents of adult adoptee access to identifying information of adoptee: Unclear
Disclosure Vetoes: Unclear. The province plans to introduce disclosure vetos in their new legislation.
Contact preferrences/vetos: Not applicable currently. Contact preferences or vetos are planned for the new proposed legislation.
Passive Registry: Available to: an adult adoptee- anyone who, in the Director’s opinion, has a significant relationship to an adult adoptee Section 49(1). BUT, they will notify the adoptive parents Section 49(3)(If a match with another close relative might result in identifying a natural parent to the adoptee, the natural parent’s consent for the reunion of the other parties is required before they will be notified of a match. Section 49
Active registry: Available to: an adult adoptee Section 50 BUT, the government will notify the adult adoptee’s adoptive parents first. Section 50(2)
Particularly bad things: Notifying adoptive parents of an adult adoptee’s search (sections 49(3)(b) and 50(2) treats the adult adoptee as a child and as property, and violated their privacy rights. Adult adoptees should have the right to reconnect with natural family without the interference of their adoptive families.
Updates: The province has just completed a review in November 2018 and will be enacting new legislation, which it looks like the details of have already been decided
******
LINKS
- Province considers opening up P.E.I. adoption records, CBC News, November 3. 2017
######
- Sealed adoption records gave us ‘a lifetime of grief,’ says mother, CBC News, February 15, 2018
- Adoptees, birth mothers call for inquiry into P.E.I. adoption history, CBC, September 12, 2018
-
Pressure to give up babies for adoption topic of new P.E.I. play,CBC News, September 17, 2018
- Advocates call on P.E.I. government to open adoption records, CBC, News, October 21, 2018
- P.E.I. government to open adoption records, CBC November 13, 2018
- P.E.I. government tables legislation to open adoption records, CBC, November 19, 2019
-
Head of national adoption records group says penalties in new P.E.I. law ‘beyond the pale’ Summerdale Journal Pioneer, December 6, 2019
######
- Changes open records for adoptions taking place after January 2020, but maintains veto, The Guardian, March 4, 2019
- Meanwhile, a Few Canadians Didn’t Get the Memo Gregory Luce, Adoptee Rights Law Center. November 21. 2019
Prince Edward Island: New bill contains vetoes and criminalizes contact, Daily Bastarette, November 21, 2019 - Alert URGENT! Prince Edward Island Bill 29. Contains veto and criminalizes contact. Vote No, Bastard Nation, November 24, 2019
- Bastard Nation letter to PEI Assembly: Reject Bill No. 29, November 24, 2019
- Response to BN Letter in Opposition to PEI Bill No. 29 from Ernie Hudson, Minister of Social Development and Housing, November 26, 2019
- P.E.I.’s move to open adoption records not what some advocates were looking for, CBC, November 25, 2019
######
-
Mum’s the Word documentary features activism of P.E.I. adoptees, birth parents. The Guardian, March 4, 2020
Updated April 16, 2020
