Brief History of Adoption in Ontario

Formalized adoption history in this country goes back over 80 years. There has been a slow evolution to the place we are at today. Adoption in Canada was not regulated by the government at all until the 1920’s. Up until this point, adoptions in Canada were arranged privately most often through the churches. The First Adoption Act came into effect in Ontario in 1921. Six years later, in 1927 the Adoption Act was amended to seal adoption records in an effort to protect the privacy of the individuals involved as reflected in the prevailing social norms of the time. In 1954, the Adoption Act was repealed and adoption became regulated under the Child Welfare Act, the precursor to the Child and Family Services Act. In the face of emerging social movements for the civil rights of adopted persons, the Child Welfare Act was amended in 1978 to establish the first passive voluntary disclosure registry. Following closely along came the Adoption Disclosure Register which provided active searches for those wishing contact however both parties were required to agree. It also included veto rights for the adoptive parents that could be enacted by the adoptive parents regardless of the age of the adoptee. In 1980, the Child and Family Services Act replaced the Child Welfare Act. The Ministry of Community and Social Services commissioned the “Disclosure of Adoption Information” report and in 1986, the adoptive parent veto was rescinded, non-identifying information was defined and the provincial registrar was empowered to conduct searches at the request of the adoptee. In 1994, Ontario’s Adoption Disclosure Bill was drafted to include access to birth certificates however; this bill did not pass third reading. Between the years 1998-2003, a total of 7 Bills were introduced into the Ontario legislature but never made it passed second reading. In the face of mounting pressure for adoption reform, Bill 183 , the Adoption Information Disclosure Act was passed in Ontario in 2005. Adoption policy has been a “hot topic” since the introduction of Bill 183 and warrants more in depth review of the events that have transpired since this time. We plan to focus more on these events and we welcome input along the way as we continue to review the way adoption policy has emerged in Ontario.
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Adapted from Ontario Genweb Project: Adoption in Ontario: A Brief History
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canon/research-topic-births-adoption.html