Ottawa, Saturday, September 28, 2013

Good morning! Sharon and I are delighted to join you here today. Thank you to everyone for coming out to support this important event.

And thank you to the Adoption Council of Canada—of which I am proud to be patron—and the Children’s Bridge Foundation for organizing this fantastic walk.

In adoption, the path towards parenthood is walked alongside birth parents and grandparents, social workers, lawyers, counsellors, foster parents, friends, family, and many others.

So it is only fitting that we walk to support them, to show all Canadians that there is no one way, no wrong way, to build a family.

Every child deserves a good home, and every parent-at-heart deserves a chance to make that dream a reality. In adoption, the journey is one that can be fraught with frustration and heartache, and raising an adopted child comes with its own unique set of challenges. Yet nothing can diminish the sheer elation of holding a child—of holding your child—in your arms.

Our family knows the joys of adoption, as our daughter has built her family in this way. We know that a child does not have to share DNA to share the love and compassion of a mother and father, or two fathers, or two mothers, or whatever your family dynamic is.

Like many of you, we cannot imagine our family any differently, cannot imagine our lives without our grandchildren, no matter how they came to be part of our family.

Like yours, the love in our family is unconditional.

And we cannot forget all those children in foster care, those who are waiting for the right loving family to take them in, to give them a forever home.

Let us walk today for them, for all of the children in Canada who are hoping for loving parents; for all of the birth parents who want to give their child the best in life; for the parents who embark on this path; for all those who support adoption and who want to make sure that all of our children thrive.

Sharon and I know that this is more than a walk. For many of you, this is a personal way to say thank you for everything the adoption community has done for your family.

And to all of you, we would like to add our own thanks. Thank you for helping to build the smart and caring nation we know Canada to be.