April 20, 2004

Ottawa - Adoptive parents and children are one step closer to achieving the acknowledgment they deserve under Canada's tax laws after MPs cast aside partisan politics today in the House of Commons to vote in support of a bill tabled by BC Conservative MP Jay Hill.

By an overwhelming margin of 168 to 50, MPs voted to send Hill's private member's bill, C-246, to the Standing Committee on Finance for review. The legislation proposes a tax deduction of up to $7,000 for expenses related to the adoption of a child.

"To say I am thrilled is an understatement. Along with adoptive parents and adoption organizations across Canada, I have worked for years to correct this oversight in federal tax laws," said Hill. "Adoption provides tremendous benefit to all of society and many of my colleagues have now recognized that the federal government should be doing everything it can to encourage adoption by alleviating the financial stress incurred by those adopting a child."

Hill said today's vote was an encouraging sign. "I would like to thank my Conservative colleagues for their ongoing support and I commend the members of the New Democratic Party, the Bloc Quebecois, and particularly the Liberal backbench MPs who went against the advice of the Minister of Finance, and judged this legislation on merit and not party lines."

Hill added, "Most of the credit for today's success, however was due to the tireless efforts of Canadians, many whom e-mailed, wrote and called their MPs throughout the past few months, asking them to support adoption in Canada."

While acknowledging that an election call by Paul Martin would derail the legislation, Hill stated he is committed to reintroducing the bill in the next Parliament. "If this legislation is worthy of support now, it will be just as worthy a few months from now. Today's vote demonstrates that there is an overwhelming belief that we must modernize our tax laws to recognize adoption as part of family life in Canada."

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