Canada Welcomes Fourth Flight of Haitian Orphans

A fourth flight of Haitian children arrived in Canada on Feb. 3, bringing 31 adoptees to be united with their new Canadian families.

Haitian orphans at the Foyer de la Patience des Infantes orphanage, Jan. 31, 2010, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Child smuggling was a problem in Haiti even before the earthquake, with thousands of children disappearing every year. Mario Tama/Getty Images

OTTAWA—Late Wednesday night, adoptive parents in Canada welcomed a fourth flight of children from earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

“We are working to put as many children as possible on the flights, given the logistical difficulties in Haiti,” Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) said in a statement update on the government’s expedited adoption of Haitian orphans, dubbed “Operation Stork.”

The latest flight brought 31 children aged 6 months to 16 years. They were from the approximately 217 children approved by the Haitian government to come to Canada who were already in the adoption process when the massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on Jan. 12.  

The new group joined the 148 adoptees from previous flights already united with their Canadian adoptive families.

Operation Stork is expected to taper off after the remaining cases clear provincial and territorial requirements to be brought to Canada.

After facilitating all adoptions in process since before the earthquake, the Haitain government has said it will only approve orphaned children to leave the country whose cases it has investigated and deemed as legitimate adoptions.