(Letter Sent on February 1, 2011 and Response Received on February 3, 2011)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION :
Another Letter Sent to the Prime Mininster of Canada

A letter was sent to the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, and a message received back from the Office of the Prime Minister to Stephen Watkins, who is a Canadian searching Father of one of the worst International Child Abductions from Canada as announced by the RCMP on May 25, 2010.  His sons were Internationally Abducted into to the United States then to Europe by their non-custodial Mother.  Mr. Watkins letter was sent to the Prime Minister just prior to a planned visit with the United States President, Barack Obama on February 4, 2011 which perimeter security was one issue was to be discussed.  

“Harper to meet Obama to discuss perimeter security, climate change”

The Canadian Press

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/harper-heads-washington-friday-meet-u-president-obama-20110201-094850-049.html
 

Stephen Watkins, searching Father and sole custodial parent of his sons by Order of the Ontario Courts on January 26, 2009, wrote to the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, again on February 1, 2011, about his MISSING / ABDUCTED sons, Alexander and Christopher Watkins, and how they were abducted into 2 countries and on a Delta / Northwest Airline by their non-custodial mother, Edyta ( Ustaszewski / Ustaszewska) Watkins with the use of a Canceled Canadian Passport which was confirmed Canceled / Revoked 42-days by the Ontario Government prior to his sons International Child Abduction.  

An Interpol “RED NOTICE” (http://bit.ly/INT-Edyta-Watkins) has been issued by the country of Canada for her apprehension and extradition and Interpol “YELLOW NOTICES” ( http://bit.ly/INT-Alexander-Watkins / http://bit.ly/INT-Christopher-Watkins) have also been issued to all world-wide countries for information on the location of Alexander & Christopher Watkins. 

In this international child abduction from Canada, the grandfather Tadeusz (Ted) Ustaszewski, may have assisted as he alone picked up the children from their schools in Newmarket, Ontario  and drove his daughter and grand children over the U.S. Border on March 8, 2009.  Mr. Ustaszewski has since been charged by York Regional Police for child abduction and the disappearance of the two Canadian children.  Edyta Watkins profile has been posted on the RCMP’s Canada’s Most Want list. (http://bit.ly/RCMP-CMW)

The FIRST letter sent by Stephen Watkins to the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, was on April 9, 2009, and contained the following statements:

“My children, Alexander (age 7) and Christopher (age 4) were abducted by my ex-wife during the weekend of March 7^th 2009. “

“…after a custody trial presided by her Honorable Madam Justice G. Waldman, I was granted sole custody on January 26^th 2009”

“She left Canada and entered the U.S. on a Canadian Passport that the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) claims was cancelled on January 26^th 2009 for lack of child support payments and my children flew out on Canadian Passports that I tried in vain to have removed by the Courts and Passport Canada.”

“She then flew from Rochester, N.Y. and landed in Germany and was admitted on her “cancelled” passport along with the children’s passports which she had testified she didn’t have in court.  I have been frustrated at every turn by both the Courts and Passport Canada despite my constant warnings about this traumatic abduction that could have been easily prevented.”

In the last 23-months, Stephen Watkins feels that the issues raised, supporting evidence provided by Foreign Affairs, York Regional Police, RCMP, documents attained through Passport Canada and by the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) who deals with Provincial Enforcement Measures in Ontario has gone unheard.   

Mr. Watkins is feeling that all the correspondence letters sent to Canadian government officials including the Official Complaints to the Ombudsman of Passport Canada have been not property addressed.

“As my FIRST priority is to find my missing sons in Europe and to bring them home, the government officials who have been contacted are NOT addressing any of the issues and passing along my letters back and forth.” says Stephen Watkins

“I have been writing polite and respectful letters to the best of my ability and giving all those who manage our government and the different ministries time to respond.  I want to work with them to address and fix these issues which have been documented in by my sons International Child Abduction.”    

“The government officials and the Passport Ombudsman are just writing back information I already know, side swiping the issues raised, forwarding it to other ministries already dealing with this case and not directly dealing with these important issues which affects ALL Canadians.” adds Mr. Watkins.

“The Ombudsman of Passport Canada confirmed in their letter to me that there are NO Exit Strategy Controls here in Canada. This means NO one is scanning and verifying if peoples Canadian Passports are “Valid” upon leaving Canada and anyone who has had their Canadian Passport Canceled/ Revoked due to a Criminal Conviction or through a Provincial Enforcement Measure can just pack up their bags and leave.  What’s the point for taxpayers to possibly pay millions of dollars from every Province to Canceled Passports electronically if you can still use them when NO ONE is checking them on the way out of Canada?  Maybe this is the reason why there has been an increase of International Child Abductions in the last 2 years?”  

Stephen Watkins received an immediate e-mail response on Feb 3, 2011, by the Prime Minister's Executive Correspondence Officer.

“Hopefully my message was shared with the Prime Minister?” questions Stephen Watkins.

“I won’t STOP searching for my missing sons. I will continue to get media support and campaign for changes here in Canada to make sure this does not happen to any other Canadian Families. I want to save other families from the heart ach and grief of having an International Child Abduction.  The costs to find missing children taken outside our country falls directly on the shoulders of the left behind parent.  I know that our Prime Minister and all our elected officials have families.  What has happened to my two sons could easily happen to their families too!”  

~ COPY OF LETTER SENT ~

February 1, 2011

Stephen Harper

Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa

K1A 0A2

pm@pm.gc.ca

Dear Prime Minister:

I am writing to identify a serious Canadian National Border Security Problem resulting from the use of a cancelled Canadian Passport.   I have written several times, but have yet to receive any indication of how your government proposes to address this issue. 

In March of 2009, my ex-wife who’s parental rights were removed by the Ontario Courts in 2007, abducted my sons Alexander (age 7) and Christopher (age 4) Watkins and took the boys across the border to the United States using a Canadian Passport that had been cancelled by the Ontario government in January of 2009.

I wrote to the Ombudsman of Passport Canada, who advised that it was the responsibility of the foreign countries involved to confirm that the passport was valid.  However, the Ombudsman failed to note that the Canadian Border Services and U.S. Homeland Security are only conducting visual inspections of passports, and that there are NO electronic systems in place in North America to check the validity of passports.

My first priority will always continue to be the search for my sons.   But I am now also working with the media to alert the public that my ex-wife, the non-custodial parent, was able to travel across the border with my sons using a cancelled passport and then fly around the world and enter the country of Germany.  Global National News aired my story on January 28^th, 2011, and the York Regional Police has issued a Media Press Release confirming that my sons were abducted with the use of a cancelled passport. 

I have been approached by other National Networks, and will continue to tell my story.  Your government must implement security protocols and exit strategies to ensure that cancelled passports are not used to cross borders.  

Please give this matter your urgent attention.

Yours very truly,

Stephen A. Watkins

www.Watkins-Missing-Children.com

C.  

Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

Lois Brown, MP Newmarket-Aurora

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Prime Minister/Premier ministre <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 2:35 PM
Subject: Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet du Premier ministre
To: Stephen Watkins <watkins.missing.children@gmail.com>
Cc: "Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P." <mina10@international.gc.ca>


Dear Mr. Watkins:

On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence regarding the inspection of Canadian passports by foreign authorities.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with the Prime Minister. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your message to the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who, I am certain, will appreciate being made aware of the situation you have described.



M. Bredeson
Executive Correspondence Officer
 for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondance
 de la haute direction pour le Cabinet du Premier minister