Though I tend to stick to topics related to writing or the writing life on this blog, watching children being ripped from their families in the United States was enough to change my mind. With the horror, however, came a feeling of helplessness: it wasn’t my country or my government so what impact could I possibly have on events unfolding south of me? I was already boycotting the country in more ways than one, and my actions certainly weren’t helping those children.

Then I learned of a petition Canadians can sign that will be forwarded to the American ambassador to Canada, Kelly Knight Craft. I was in the middle of writing a blog post about it when Trump announced he was about to sign an executive order putting an end to the practise. Whether or not that materializes, and whether it does, in fact, lead to the reuniting of children with their parents remains to be seen. So here is the link to the petition: https://act.leadnow.ca/stop-trumps-policy/

There’s another injustice unfolding right now and this one is much closer to home. Vancouver children’s author Lee Edward Fodi and his partner, Marcie, have adopted an infant from Japan. But they and four other families have not been able to bring their babies home because the Canadian government is deferring to US immigration policy. That government decision has had devastating consequences for all of them, and they’re now caught up in the middle of a bureaucratic nightmare. Lee explains this much better than I ever could so I urge you to visit his blog, read his story, and write in support to Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.   https://kendrakandlestar.wordpress.com/