It was supposed to be a happy reunion between a Quebec father and his 10-year-old daughter, who was abducted and brought to British Columbia two years ago.

Frank Gonis came to Vancouver to see his daughter. But on Sunday, the reunion had been put on hold.

Now, he is preparing to go home alone because of government red tape that is keeping the two apart.

"It's maddening. I get the impression that this is insane," he said.

Gonis was granted custody of Ashley by a Quebec court, but she vanished along with her mother in 2007, leaving no trace.

About two weeks ago, Ashley surfaced when she called 911 from a Vancouver Skytrain station. Ecstatic, Frank Gonis got ready to leave for B.C. right away.

"The detective said, 'we got her.' My first thought was, I'm dying, I was shaking, and I thought, 'It's over. They are going to bring her back, this is done,'" he said.

But it wasn't that simple. There is a warrant for Ashley's mother's arrest. But it's good only in Quebec, not in British Columbia. It means that Ashley's mother is a free woman, and she is now fighting in a B.C. court for custody.

On top of that, in order to fight the case, Gonis needs to present documents from a Quebec court. But they are written in French, and to translate them it will cost him thousands of dollars. It's a process that could take weeks - delaying his reunion further.

"I don't understand," he said. "If you get arrested and you ask for your trial in French, you will get it," he said. "Why do I have to pay?"

B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal says he is sympathetic to any parent that has a child abducted. But, without an arrest warrant, police in this province cannot act, he said, adding that the mother can exercise her rights.

"There's a jurisdictional dispute in that the child and the mother live here," Oppal said. "In those circumstances, the jurisdiction will take place where the child is."

Gonis says he can wait to see Ashley and wants to make sure the reunion goes right. But he says no parent should have to go through this. He's been waiting for two years, and now he'll have to wait longer.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward