Changing Canada’s Divorce Act: Luke’s Place remarks on Bill C-78

The Bill C-78 hearing

Luke’s Place and NAWL have submitted a Joint Brief on Bill C-78 and will testify as witnesses before the Standing Committee in Ottawa on Wednesday November 22 at 5:30.

Our brief was endorsed by over 40 organizations, some of which will be heard by the Committee today.

NAWL (National Association of Women and the Law) will provide updates throughout the hearing @NAWL_ANFD.

What is Bill C-78?

Bill C-78 contains significant changes to the Divorce Act.

Even though every year thousands of people in Canada separate and resolve their legal issues without relying on the Divorce Act, Bill C-78 matters to all of us.

When passed, the changes will apply to people in every part of Canada, with no regional variation. A Divorce Act with greater clarity and more detail will serve as a model for future revisions to provincial/territorial legislation. It will be a reference point for judges in all family law cases.

For further information see the Discussion Paper Luke’s Place co-authored with NAWL.

Our thoughts on the Bill

The Luke’s Place remarks to the Committee will focus on violence within in the family. Bill C-78 clearly identifies family violence as a consideration in divorce proceedings, recognizing coercive control and other forms of abuse, which we applaud. However, there are areas of the Bill that we would like to see revised, which are set out in the Discussion Paper and Joint Brief.