Canadian Parents’ Organization supports Bill to reform Divorce Act
Canadian Equal Parenting Council (CEPC) applauds M.P. Maurice Vellacott who on Dec 6th 2013 introduced into the House of Commons Bill C-560 – a bill that would mandate a rebuttable presumption in favour of equal shared parenting.
The Bill substantially strengthens direction to the courts under the authority of Parliament, that equal shared parenting, not sole custody, is to be the standard and the outcome in the vast majority of cases.
In 1968, Parliament promised parents “no fault” divorce but delivered unaffordable, adversarial conflicts which were highly profitable to the legal profession. In the 1986 reforms, Parliament promised a preference for the “friendly parent” but again failed to change outcomes for parents and children. In 1998, Parliament promised 48 shared parenting reforms but has failed to implement any of them. The April 2013 report on family law ordered by Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverly McLaughlin calls for a radical overhaul and identifies the problems that CEPC and parents have pointed out for decades.
CEPC calls on Parliament to face their responsibility and fix this problem. “Current family law process exploits parents when they are vulnerable by threatening loss of their children”, says CEPC president Glenn Cheriton. “The vast majority of Canadians believe that the current system is sexist and dysfunctional. They want change so that children benefit from both parents and that family assets are preserved.”
Social science and outcomes from other jurisdictions which have implemented forms of equal parenting show reduced conflict and cost savings for parents as well as improved outcomes for children.
Canadian Equal Parenting Council calls on all parliamentarians to support and strengthen Bill C-560 so that no child loses either parent without clear evidence and proof of unfitness.
Link to the bill C-560
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=6375891
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