Even for those living in rural areas, the last five years of technological advances have brought about greater communication shifts than most Canadians ever thought possible. Thankfully, many of those changes can help solve life’s little and large complexities.

The freshly launched website, MissingKids.ca, is an example of new technology harnessed to a worthy quest for a positive end. It’s one of those corners of the internet you pray you never need to visit, but if you must, the crucial tools it offers may help searchers find your missing child.

The multi-faceted and disturbing matter of children who go missing concerns our government too. It’s one of the reasons we’ve resolved to get tough on crime. On May 24th, the day before International Missing Children’s Day, Prime Minister Harper acknowledged that each year, more than 50,000 children are reported missing in Canada and welcomed MissingKids.ca as an important step towards keeping Canadian children safe.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (CCCP), a charitable organization dedicated to the safety of children, developed the site. For parents of missing children, law enforcement agencies, and their communities, it will serve as a crucial portal of information, assistance, and resources by:

• Assisting to find missing children;
• Providing educational materials to help prevent children from going missing;
• Resourcing information on missing children; and
• Coordinating efforts and assisting stakeholders in the delivery of missing children services.

Along with Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Rob Nicholson, I’d like to assure my constituents that our government is committed to doing our part and will continue to work with our partners to keep our nation's children—our most valuable treasures—safe and free from harm.  CCCP is one of those partners helping the government to keep its commitment.

Rather than relying on traditional means of searching for lost and missing children, MissingKids.ca helps parents understand and use innovative online search tools like social media. The site’s visitors can also sign up for missing child alerts, making a far broader search possible.

Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the CCCP, says, “MissingKids.ca will provide a national voice on missing children issues and a coordinated approach in the search for missing children. It will capitalize on new technology and coordinate prompt, efficient dissemination of public alerts.”

One missing Canadian child, Valor Taylor was abducted as a toddler in 2003. He was found alive on June 2nd , and has since been re-united with his father, Garrett Taylor.   “A hole in our heart that’s been there for years is filled back in, and now we can get on with our lives and just lead a normal life,” Valor’s dad said.

It’s that kind of jubilation—and heartbreak—that pushes our government and organizations such as CCCP to keep searching for and applauding innovative tools like MissingKids.ca.

More info at: www.ProtectChildren.ca and www.MissingKids.ca

The audio version of Garry's June 20, 2011 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here