The Canadian government is looking at relaxing regulations and speeding up paperwork to let families in Canada adopt young relatives orphaned by the tsunami disaster, it is reported in Ottawa Thursday.
The government and social agencies have been swamped with enquiries from anxious relatives after the killer waves hit 11 countries in south Asia and Africa.
Canada's Immigration Minister Judy Sgro said Wednesday that the government will make those applications a priority.
The Immigration Department has already said it will fast-track applications that had already been in the works, to let Canadians sponsor close relatives from regions affected by the tsunami.
In a related development Wednesday, Canada's Ontario Province has said it is also assessing the province's adoption procedures to facilitate placement of orphaned Asian children with their extended families living in Ontario.