C-560 Introduction

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO BILL C-560

An Act to Amend Canada’s Divorce Act to Support Equal Shared Parenting
Summary of Myths and Facts Link

From the 1998 Canadian Senate special joint committee on child custody and access recommendations, to the present, numerous reports and statements concerning the family law system as it relates to contested custody cases have recognized the need for fundamental reform. Former Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler has in the past expressed the concern that the current system needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up using new concepts and fresh ideas.

Bill C-560, a private member’s bill proposed by Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin) is a reasonable and balanced proposal to address the current broken system.

The principal change to the legislation, with the goal of reducing incentives for litigation over children, is the proposal for a rebuttable presumption that the best interests of children would be supported by equal shared parenting unless it can be established that those interests would be substantially enhanced by some other parenting plan.

Since the first reading in December 2013, Bill C-560 has been subject to a first hour debate in the House of Commons in March 2014 with additional debate scheduled for May 7, 2014, to be followed by a second reading vote.

This “Myths and Facts” document has been prepared to demystify the rhetoric put forward in a very active debate in the media and amongst stakeholders in relation to the proposal for equal shared parenting. It is hoped that this document will serve to cut through rhetoric and enable a focus on the substantial benefits to children from the proposed amendments to Canada’s Divorce Act.

This document is sponsored by the following three organizations seeking to foster children’s interests and protect children from the effects of bitter custody disputes.

For further information, contact the following:

Lawyers for Shared Parenting (www.l4sp.com): Brian Ludmer (www.ludmerlaw.com; 416-781-0334)
and Gene C. Colman (www.complexfamilylaw.com; 416-635-9264)

Canadian Equal Parenting Council (www.canadianepc.org): Glenn Cheriton (613-260-2659)

Leading Women for Shared Parenting (www.lw4sp.org): Paulette MacDonald (289-240-0665; kidsneed2parents@gmail.com)
and Georgialee Lang (www.georgialeelang.com)

back to myths and facts