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Equal parenting Bill tabled in house of commons

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  • Equal parenting Bill tabled in house of commons

    I posted this in the Political issues section but some people who don't look there often may want to see it too.

    LEGISinfo - Private Member?s Bill C-560 (41-2)

    Would be a positive step forward in my books.


    An Act to amend the Divorce Act (equal parenting) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts
    Whereas the Parliament of Canada recognizes that amendments to the Divorce Act are necessary in order to
    (a) clarify the purpose and underlying principles of the Act,
    (b) encourage divorcing spouses to assume more responsibility for their affairs, with less reliance on adversarial processes,
    (c) promote joint responsibility and joint decision-making by spouses in respect of ongoing child care, nurturing, and development,
    (d) establish that the interests of the child are best served through maximal ongoing pa*rental involvement with the child, and that the rebuttable presumption of equal parenting is the starting point for judicial deliberations,
    (e) clarify relocation considerations by plac- ing the onus on the relocating parent to maintain continuity of relationship, and
    (f) provide for consistent collection of court statistics;



    "Mr. Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, CPC)
    moved for leave to introduce Bill C-560, An Act to amend the Divorce Act (equal parenting) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.
    He said: Mr. Speaker, I am quite honoured in these few moments to be introducing a private member's bill that would direct the courts in regard to divorce to make equal shared parenting the presumptive arrangement in the best interest of the child, except in proven cases of abuse or neglect.

    Fifteen years ago, a joint House-Senate committee presented to Parliament a report entitled “For the Sake of the Children”. That report urged Parliament to amend the Divorce Act to make equal shared parenting the normative determination by courts dealing with situations of divorce involving children. This non-partisan recommendation from that joint House-Senate report was based on compelling research made available to the committee members.
    Over the past 15 years, the best research has continued to demonstrate far superior outcomes for children in general when both parents, mom and dad, are actively involved in their children's lives, even if the parents divorce or separate.

    Polling from the past several years demonstrates overwhelming support from Canadians for this equal shared parenting. There is in fact slightly more support among women than men for equal parenting. This strong support from almost 80% of Canadians exists across the country, with the strongest regional support coming from Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

    Canadians claiming to be Liberal and Bloc supporters expressed the strongest endorsement for equal shared parenting, at 80.6% among Liberals and 82.9% among Bloc Québécois supporters, with the NDP and Conservatives just slightly under 80%.

    A variety of countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Australia, and various U.S. states have implemented equal parenting, joint custody, or shared parenting presumptive legislation, which has resulted in lower court costs, less conflict, and improved social outcomes for the children of divorce.
    This bill is one of the most apolitical, non-partisan pieces of legislation introduced in this current Parliament.

    I look forward to strong support for this important piece of legislation from all members of Parliament who are committed to the best interests of our children."
    Last edited by SingingDad; 12-15-2013, 05:16 PM.

  • #2
    Here is what Mr. Vellacott's assistant emailed me (publishing with permission):

    "The date for Mr. Vellacott's name being selected for him to choose a bill or motion of his for debate has finally been provided as Jan. 29, 2014. At that point, he has about a week to select from his bills and motions, which one he will bring forward for debate. But he has introduced the new equal shared parenting bill. It is not called Bill C-560."

    I am now puzzled. First, I was told that there is a scheduling issue that stops Mr. Vellacott to present this Bill (was postponed to December) and now it looks like he may or may not chose C-560 for debate, it's his choice. What the heck?

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