Parent Finders

Parent Finders of Canada originated in Vancouver in 1976. The founder and first National Director was Joan Vanstone. Her lifetime of dedication to the Canadian adoption reform movement was rewarded with the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2012.

The National Office was transferred to Ottawa in 2010. The new National Director is Monica Byrne (also, Registrar of Parent Finders Ottawa).

Parent Finders Ottawa is part of a network of Parent Finders’ groups across Canada sharing the same Mission, Vision and Values.

1.   Mission

Parent Finders of Canada is a national, community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to assist and support all members of the adoption community who are seeking reunion with family members lost through adoption. This is done through peer support, education, and advocacy.

2.   Values

Parent Finders of Canada provides quality service while respecting the privacy of those we serve. We support adult adoptees, birth relatives, adoptive parents, and fostered adults – with empathy, compassion, and understanding.

3.  Vision

In future, all Canadians will have the right to information that will enable them to know their original identity. All adoptions will be conducted in an atmosphere of openness and honesty so that the wrongs created by past practices of secrecy and withholding of information will no longer exist. When reunions are sought, they should be managed in an atmosphere of empathy and respect by all agencies involved.

Nov 8, 2023