Sketchy Toronto group promotes ‘birth tourism’ to foreign nationals
A controversial group known as “CanadaMama consulting” has been caught advertising “birth tourism” in the country for a fee of $35,000.
A controversial group known as “CanadaMama consulting” has been caught advertising “birth tourism” in the country for a fee of $35,000. It promises a “safe birth” and a “life full of opportunities,” though online reviews of their services suggest otherwise.
The website, which defaults to Russian, attracts potential clients by promising free education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and status for their children, as first reported by Juno News.
“This is not a back door way to the easy life of free healthcare and free education,” writes user Luke Gillespie, an alleged client. “They'll steal your money and can offer no assurances,” he said as part of his Google Review.
CanadaMama offers various packages on its website, ranging from economy to comfort, with additional services like food delivery, hospital tours, shopping advice, and interpretation services available at an extra cost.
Nearly 2,500 foreigners attempt to get away with “birth tourism” in Canada each year, says a report by the Department of Immigration.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 7, 2023
MORE: https://t.co/HP2yocSc6i pic.twitter.com/ByuCQCapRv
The controversial group also provides property rentals, immigration consultation, visa support, medical service advisory, and newborn photography, while claiming to work alongside Canadian hospitals.
Humber River Health in Toronto, where the third-party organization is located, rejected that claim in a 2023 statement.
“We are not affiliated, associated, or in any way officially connected with CanadaMama Consulting or any other birth tourism agency—despite any social media or website advertising they may choose to produce,” reads the statement.
The Health Authority urged all patients and families to “exercise caution” and “ensure proper due diligence” before soliciting their services.
Nearly 2,500 foreigners attempt to get away with “birth tourism” in Canada annually, according to federal government data.
“The number of estimated deliveries by short-term visitors, i.e. ‘residual’ deliveries, shows an increasing trend in recent years from around 800 annually in 2010 to around 2,500 in 2017,” said the report, An Examination Of In-Hospital Deliveries.
Birth tourism is a thing in Canada.
— Martyupnorth®- Unacceptable Fact Checker (@Martyupnorth_2) December 2, 2024
Canada is one of the preferred destinations in the world for easy citizenship. Birth tourism is permitted by law, medical expenses are relatively cheap, and Canadian citizenship comes with many social benefits.
Are you for or against the… pic.twitter.com/8UTZ8uluQW
Though CanadaMama claims to have carried out dozens of successful births, online reviews show mass outrage from alleged former clients and members of the public.
“We used their services to have a child illegally in Canada,” admits Gillespie, who received a $400,000 bill for accessing their services, of which he did not specify. “I can never return to the country,” he said.
He adds: “My child did not receive citizenship,” before calling the consulting group an “illegal scam.” CanadaMama did not respond to a request for comment by Rebel News on the authenticity of these allegations.
“Don't make the [same] mistake [I did],” writes Gillespie. “File for citizenship legally.”
Almost 1/4 of the babies delivered at Richmond Hospital in 2019 were born to non-Canadian residents.
— CBC British Columbia (@cbcnewsbc) January 4, 2020
That's the finding of a new Fifth Estate investigation into birth tourism and as as @cbcErica learned, the controversial practice may be straining our healthcare system: pic.twitter.com/pnQmYq01cR
Under the 1947 Citizenship Act, babies born here are entitled to full benefits as Canadians. However, the loophole can be easily amended under Section 3 of the Act.
“If Canadian citizenship in that section was limited to children born in Canada to Canadian citizens or permanent residents, then there would be no incentive for birth-tourism,” David Thomas, a veteran immigration lawyer and senior fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute, told Juno News.
The Department of Immigration later commissioned in-house polling on whether to amend the act to limit citizenship based on the immigration status of parents. A poll of 3,028 Canadians found that 57% supported ending birthright citizenship for children born to temporary residents or illegal migrants.
“There have been frequent media reports on the issue, and petitions have called on the government to implement measures to reduce or eliminate the practice. However, which births in Canada should be attributed to 'birth tourism' has not been officially defined,” clarified Hospital Deliveries.
In 2018, Conservative party members voted to remove birthright citizenship for babies born to parents who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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Bernhard Jatzezck commented 2025-03-11 20:28:59 -0400While I was finishing my last degree, I knew of some of my fellow grad students who became parents while studying here in Canada.
