Family Law Commons^™

Case Comment: Mccain V Mccain And Barton V Sauvé: A New Approach To Autonomous Domestic Contractual Bargaining In Ontario, Mark Cornish

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This case comment explores the tension between principles that guide domestic contractual bargaining and interpretation in Ontario with reference to two recent trial-level decisions. The courts’ analyses in McCain and Barton suggest a way to reconcile the apparent tension between principles of autonomy and fairness. In light of these decisions, and drawing on the literature in this area, the paper suggests a two-pronged approach for courts to adopt when deciding whether to set aside a domestic contract. This approach attempts to ensure that courts only uphold domestic contracts that are negotiated by truly autonomous parties.

Les Amoureux Sur Les Bancs Publics : Le Traitement Juridique Du Polyamour En Droit Québécois, Michaël Lessard

Canadian Journal of Family Law

L’auteur offre un tour d’horizon des manières dont le droit québécois désavantage les relations polyamoureuses. Dans la première partie, l’auteur définit le polyamour, le monoamour et certaines notions connexes. Dans les sections subséquentes, il avance une catégorisation du traitement juridique du polyamour. Selon son analyse, quatre angles sont exploités pour orienter les relations conjugales vers le monoamour et hors du polyamour : (1) limiter à deux le nombre de parents par enfant (biparenté vs pluriparenté), (2) faciliter la prestation de soins de conjoint·e à conjoint·e, (3) protéger les conjoint·es contre des vulnérabilités économiques, et (4) prohiber certains comportements polyamoureux (criminalisation …

In Memoriam: The Canadian Research Institute For Law And The Family, 1987–2018, John-Paul E. Boyd

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Introduction To The Special Issue: Shifting Normativities, Régine Tremblay, Erez Aloni

Canadian Journal of Family Law

On May 9 and 10, 2019, we held an international and interdisciplinary conference entitled Shifting Normativities: Families, Feminisms, Laws—Celebrating the Work of Professor Susan B. Boyd. This event, cohosted by the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies and the Canadian Journal of Family Law, brought together to the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia scholars from different countries and disciplines. It had three principal goals. First, celebrating the work of Professor Susan B. Boyd; second, producing cutting-edge scholarship in under-researched fields, namely, family studies and feminist theory; and third, creating new networks of …

Faire Valoir Ses Droits À La Chambre De La Jeunesse : État Des Lieux Des Barrières Structurelles À L’Accès À La Justice Des Familles, Emmanuelle Bernheim, Marilyn Coupienne

Canadian Journal of Family Law

S’il est convenu que l’intervention en protection de la jeunesse constitue en soi une atteinte aux droits fondamentaux des parents, il est souvent pris pour acquis que les droits des parents et des enfants s’opposent autour de notions telles que l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant et le projet de vie permanent. Au Québec, dans un contexte où les mères vivant dans la pauvreté, et plus particulièrement les mères autochtones ou issues de minorités visibles, sont surreprésentées en protection de la jeunesse et où le nombre de dossiers judiciarisés a cru de 20% depuis les années 1990, il apparaît non seulement pertinent …

Intent To Parent Is What Makes A Parent? A Comparative Analysis Of The Role Of Intent In Multi-Parenthood Recognition, Nola Cammu

Canadian Journal of Family Law

In most jurisdictions, the two-parent rule does not take into account the social reality of intentional multiple-parent families where more than two parents share parenting tasks from a child’s birth. Many cases show that children in non-traditional parenting constellations are emotionally attached to all parental figures and perceive them as true parents. Unfortunately, the law does not adequately acknowledge multiple parenting practices, and thus a discrepancy exists between the social and the legal reality of (often young) children in intentional plus-two-parent families. This article argues that the law should aim to rectify this discrepancy by legally accommodating multiple parenthood, preferably …

All Families Are Equal, But Do Some Matter More Than Others? How Gender, Poverty, And Domestic Violence Put Quebec's Family Law Reform To The Test, Suzanne Zaccour

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Who needs family law? While it is tempting to answer “everyone”, the stakes are not the same for all. I propose to evaluate family law rules in terms of how they address high-stakes situations—that is, the condition of vulnerable women. Thus, the test of good family law should be how well it deals with poverty and domestic violence, factors that directly constrain women’s ability to negotiate fair outcomes.

To explore this method, I take the example of a recent proposal, developed by Alain Roy’s reform committee (the “Comité consultatif sur le droit de la famille”), and regarding which the Quebec …

Autonomous Motherhood In The Era Of Donor Linking: New Challenges And Constraints?, Fiona Kelly

Canadian Journal of Family Law

The number of single mothers by choice (SMCs), that is, unpartnered women who choose to conceive a child that they intend to raise on their own; has grown rapidly in Australia, where they now represent the largest user group of clinic-based donor sperm. Despite the growing visibility of SMCs, constraints remain for women who wish to parent autonomously from a partner. This article explores a complex new challenge for Australian SMCs: whether to participate in the increasingly popular phenomenon of “donor linking,” defined as the process by which parents who use donated gametes to conceive seek access to the donor’s …

Relationally Speaking: The Implications Of Treating Embryos As Property In A Canadian Context, Kathleen Hammond

Canadian Journal of Family Law

In July 2018, the Ontario Superior Court, in S.H. v D.H., dealt with a dispute between a recently separated couple over a frozen embryo that the couple had created. In his judgment, Justice Del Frate stated that the embryo should be conceived of as property. This was the cause of uproar among feminist legal scholars who were concerned with the possible repercussions for cisgender women of labeling embryos as property. The Superior Court decision was subsequently overturned by the Ontario Court of Appeal this past May (2019). However, given the likelihood that embryos will be treated as property in …

Hong Kong's Children Proceedings (Parental Responsibility) Bill: Comparative Family Law Reform And Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Katherine Lynch

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Many comprehensive reviews of family justice systems have been undertaken in common law jurisdictions over the past 20 years, all seeking to provide more meaningful affordable access to justice for families and children. Hong Kong is also under pressure to enact legislative reforms originally proposed in 2002-2005 which deal with children’s matters and more broadly, with family and matrimonial issues. Legislative reform was anticipated when the Government announced the long awaited Children’s Proceedings (Parental Responsibility) Bill (“Children’s Bill”) in 2015. After significant public consultation, however, the Government announced in 2018 that it would delay implementation of this draft legislation. Unfortunately, …

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Towards A Parent-Inclusive Attorney-Client Privilege, Sande L. Buhai

Georgia Law Review

Few state or federal courts recognize a parent-child
testimonial or communication privilege. Yet, courts
recognize privileges between spouses, clergy-penitent,
and therapist-patient. Supported by the Wigmore test
that legitimized these privileges, this paper argues that
the attorney-client privilege should still exist even if (1)
a client’s parent is included in an attorney-client
meeting in an advisory capacity; (2) the child discloses
contents of the attorney-client communications to the
child’s parent; or (3) the child discusses the contents of
the attorney-client communications with the child’s
parent.

Are Premarital Agreements Really Unfair?: An Empirical Study, Elizabeth Carter

Journal Articles

The article focuses on unfair treatment of premarital agreements and data of the people who entered into premarital agreements including age at marriage, race, and political affiliation. It mentions substance of the premarital agreements including how the agreements divide property and whether the agreements waive spousal support. It also mentions premarital agreements involve the waiver of property rights.

Representing The Child In Child Protective Proceedings: Toward A New Paradigm, Merril Sobie

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article will attempt a new approach, one based on an analysis of the child's interests in a child protective proceeding. As will be discussed in Part 1, most interests are surprisingly overlooked or barely articulated in the representation debate. Part 2 will summarize the statutes and case law governing the role of the child's counsel in the child protective litigation continuum. The frequently lengthy process may range from initiation by a child protective agency to the achievement of family reunification or other permanency goal. For children, the continuum of sequential proceeding may span years or decades. Finally, Part 3 …

Getting To Equal: Resolving The Judicial Impasse On The Weight Of Non-Monetary Contribution In Kenya's Marital Asset Division, Benedeta Prudence Mutiso

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

Marital property law reforms and changing international human rights standards in the late 20th and early 21st century prompted Kenya to end certain discriminatory practices against women, especially in the area of property rights. For 50 years, Kenya relied on England’s century-old law, the Married Women’s Property Act of 1882, to regulate property rights. In 2010, Kenya adopted a new Constitution that called for equality between men and women, and in 2013, Kenya enacted independent legislation in the form of the Matrimonial Property Act (MPA). The MPA provides a basis for trial courts to divide marital property upon divorce. Specifically, …

Properly Accounting For Domestic Violence In Child Custody Cases: An Evidence-Based Analysis And Reform Proposal, Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin, Sarah Elizabeth Wellard

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

Promoting the best interests of children and protecting their safety and well-being in the context of a divorce or parentage case where domestic violence has been alleged has become highly politicized and highly gendered. There are claims by fathers’ rights groups that mothers often falsely accuse fathers of domestic violence to alienate the fathers from their children and to improve their financial position. They also claim that children do better when fathers are equally involved in their children’s lives, but that judges favor mothers over fathers in custody cases. As a consequence, fathers’ rights groups have engaged in a nationwide …

Seguridad Alimentaria En Colombia. Una Propuesta Para La Sostenibilidad De La Política De Seguridad Alimentaria Y Nutricional Psan, Paola Andrea Méndez Cotrino

Maestría en Estudios y Gestión del Desarrollo – MEGD

Colombia ha trabajado en la construcción de políticas alimentarias que respondan a una definición holística de la Seguridad Alimentaria y de sus componentes. Aunque la vigente Política de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional (PSAN) es ambiciosa, la inseguridad alimentaria persiste, las enfermedades asociadas a la alimentación son comunes entre la población colombiana y el sistema alimentario tiene problemas estructurales que impiden su óptimo funcionamiento. De forma paralela, el Desarrollo Sostenible se ha configurado como una apuesta de gobernanza del desarrollo a escala global, a través de un modelo en el que convergen actores e intereses de diversa naturaleza. Teniendo cuenta estos …

The Constitutionalization Of Fatherhood, Dara Purvis

Journal Articles

Beginning in the 1970s, the Supreme Court heard a series of challenges to family law statutes brought by unwed biological fathers, questioning the constitutionality of laws that treated unwed fathers differently than unwed mothers. The Court’s opinions created a starkly different constitutional status for unwed fathers than for unwed mothers, demanding additional actions and relationships before an unwed father was considered a constitutional father. Although state parentage statutes have progressed beyond their 1970s incarnations, the doctrine created in those family law cases continues to have impact far beyond family law. Transmission of citizenship in the context of immigration law and …

In Spite Of The Odds: Achieving Educational Stability For Maryland's African American Foster Youth, Marja K. Plater

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.