My Mill Lake Books imprint has published over two dozen books. A recent short volume may be one of the most significant. In the Best Interest of the Child is both a moving human interest story and a socio-political treatise.

The book tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Hopeful’s attempts to adopt their grandchild when their son and daughter-in-law proved unable to parent adequately. It is thus a very personal family story tinged with tragedy, grief, perseverance, faith, love, and hope. “Mr. and Mrs. Hopeful” are not their real names, of course. They have chosen to remain anonymous in order to safeguard the privacy of the child.

Unfortunately, this personal story has implications that go far beyond their own family. Their personal story intersects with socio-political issues that have been little recognized or understood. The adoption process was complicated by government bureaucracy, legal issues, political issues, and social issues—a smorgasbord of complications that distracted attention from what was in “the best interest of the child.”

The other issues arose primarily because the child is part Indigenous and Mr. and Mrs. Hopeful are not and because governments have decided that “Indigenous” children (even partially Indigenous children) ideally should be adopted by Indigenous parents. This decision was made to correct past injustices against Indigenous people and to preserve Indigenous culture. This policy, while well intentioned, has had two negative and unintended results. The first is that it discriminates against non-Indigenous adults who want to adopt their own relatives. The second is that, because there is a shortage of Indigenous parents able and willing to adopt, many Indigenous children remain in foster care, never find a permanent home, and are dumped onto the street when they age out of the system. In fact, while only 7.7 percent of Canadian children are Indigenous, a majority of the children in foster care are now Indigenous.

An attempt to right historical wrongs has created a system that is injurious to both prospective parents and to children.

In the Best Interest of the Child: An Adoption Story (ISBN: 978-1-998787-10-4) is distributed by Ingram and is available for order through bookstores and through online retailers such as Amazon and Amazon.ca.