Adoption in Canada: A neglected area of data collection and research

For some decades there has been in Canada, as in the United States, recurrent public interest in adoption. At various times this interest has been kindled by professional concern about unauthorized child placement and by the plight of children made homeless by war and other calamities. More recently the issue attracting public attention has been the rise of social movements favouring the removal of legal and administrative restrictions. Almost everywhere in North America the original birth records of the adopted have long been sealed, presenting adult adopted persons with difficulties confronted by no other category of persons. In spite of a widespread awareness of adoption among various publics, remarkably little is available in the way of quantitative information on adoption. It is almost impossible to assess correctly the frequency with which adoption is practiced in different sections of Canada's population and what changes have occurred in these patterns over the past several decades. This paper addresses the problems of adoption data collection, tabulation and dissemination and attempts some preliminary analysis of adoption trends in this country based on the data that are available. It also makes certain recommendations for the collection and preparation of adoption data.