News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government is taking the first steps to open records for adoptions finalized in New Brunswick.

Under the proposed amendments to the Family Services Act and the Vital Statistics Act, records for future adoption will be made available to both birth parents and adoptees, once the adoptee has reached the age of majority (19).

For past adoptions, records will now be opened once the adoptee has reached the age of majority, unless a birth parent or an adult adoptee has filed a disclosure veto.

The amendments will also provide for contact preference notices where a birth parent or an adult adoptee can choose if and how they want to be contacted by the other party for both future and past adoptions.

“After consulting with adult adoptees, your government will be moving forward with opening adoption records, allowing birth parents and adopted adults to access their ancestry information and even meet each other, if they both wish,” said Families and Children Minister Stephen Horsman.

"We were pleased with the wide consultation process that focused on the people most impacted, birth parents and adoptive families and especially adoptees, and we are happy to see the government is moving forward on the opening of records in New Brunswick. This is certainly the direction most jurisdictions in North America have been moving toward," said Suzanne Kingston, executive director of the New Brunswick Adoption Foundation. "Through the consultation process, there was very good discussion about the complexity of reuniting people and the importance of people having access to information and support through the process. Through our New Brunswick Adoption Support Network, we will be happy to link people up with others as well as assist in finding information and resources."

As well, the Vital Statistics branch of Service New Brunswick will be able to issue a statement of original registration of birth, including the names of birth parents, upon request. There will be no charge for this document.

More information on the citizen engagement regarding the opening of adoption records is available online.