Law Commons^™

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Challenging Myths And Stereotypes In Domestic Violence Cases, Jennifer Koshan

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Survivors of domestic violence, who are disproportionately women, face numerous myths and stereotypes about the veracity, nature, and extent of violence they and their children experience. In legal disputes, they encounter allegations that they have lied about or exaggerated domestic violence out of vengeance, jealousy, or to gain an advantage in family law proceedings; that their partners are victims too; that abuse ends at separation or is irrelevant unless it is physical; and that it has no impact on children or only matters if it does. Although scholars and activists have revealed how these allegations are tainted by false and …

“This Isn’T Justice”: Abused Women Navigate Family Law In Greater Vancouver, Wendy Chan, Rebecca Lennox

Canadian Journal of Family Law

With the implementation of the Family Law Act in 2013, the family legal system in British Columbia saw a series of progressive reforms. These include the recognition of emotional, psychological, and financial control as family violence, a new protection order process to replace the limited restraining orders formerly available to abuse victims, a mandate that courts consider how exposure to family violence impacts children, and minimum mandatory training standards for family dispute resolution professionals. While there has been a great deal of legal commentary on these new provisions, there is a paucity of scholarly research documenting the experiences of frontline …

Mediator Discretion In Cases Involving Intimate Partner Violence, Michaela Keet, Jeff Edgar

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Mediation is a centerpiece in the ‘agreement culture’ around family law litigation. It is recognized by the courts as offering inherent protections to deal with challenging cases such as those involving intimate partner violence. To learn more about how mediators invoke and view the process’s protections, we conducted a series of interviews with senior mediators, trainers, and policymakers in the field. This article synthesizes current views within the mediation field about how to identify and screen for IPV, and implications for process management. At the heart of these interviews was the theme of mediator discretion: mediators describe and value discretion …

The Intersection Of Child Protection And Family Law Systems In Cases Of Domestic Violence, Wanda Wiegers

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Both the child protection and the family law systems are intended to promote the best interests of children, and both can profoundly affect the relationships between children and their parents or caregivers. Over the past two decades, both systems have also accorded more weight in the assessment of best interests to how exposure to domestic violence can harm or place children at risk. However, these systems have evolved differently, are governed by different statutes, and are administered in different ways. Child protection proceedings purport to have primarily a protective function and invariably involve a public agency, while family law proceedings, …

Domestic Violence, Precarious Immigration Status, And The Complex Interplay Of Family Law And Immigration Law, Janet Mosher

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Survivors of domestic violence must frequently navigate multiple legal processes, as well as the various administrative systems that provide crucial supports and resources. For women with precarious immigration status, navigation is made all the more challenging not only because immigration and/or refugee law processes are added to the array of legal domains to be navigated, but because their access to supports and resources is both restrictive and in flux, shifting along with the changes in their immigration status.

Drawing from interviews with experienced lawyers and case law searches, I explore many of the intersections between family law and immigration law …

Introduction: Domestic Violence And Access To Justice Within The Family Law And Intersecting Legal Systems, Jennifer Koshan, Wanda Wiegers, Janet Mosher, Wendy Chan, Michaela Keet

Canadian Journal of Family Law

The articles in this collection explore the access to justice issues that arise for survivors of domestic violence in their encounters with Canada’s family law system. While family law and family dispute resolution processes are the central focus of the articles, three contributions also address family law's intersections with other legal domains (civil restraining orders, child welfare, and immigration). Common across the contributions is a desire to carefully interrogate the potential of law and legal processes to enhance—or conversely to undermine—the safety and well-being of survivors and their children.

Preventive Justice? Domestic Violence Protection Orders And Their Intersections With Family And Other Laws And Legal Systems, Jennifer Koshan

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Civil protection order legislation is a distinctive response to domestic violence with its focus on immediate safety and access to justice. Although the legislation was motivated by the need to broaden protective remedies for domestic violence and make them more accessible, similar remedies continue to exist and be utilized in the family law arena—for example, exclusive possession orders for the family home and restraining orders related to family disputes. Some jurisdictions also allow civil protection orders to contain conditions relevant to family law disputes, such as interim parenting orders. Intersections, overlaps and potential conflicts also exist between civil protection order …

(Mis)Recognition Of Customary Marriages: A Comparative Analysis Of Canadian And South African Family Law, Corbin W. Golding

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This paper explores the methods of recognizing customary marriages conducted between Indigenous participants within Canada and South Africa, respectively. It primarily focuses on the functional and philosophical consequences of these methods on the validity of the customary marriages. This paper begins by establishing the problem of misrecognition, which is an injustice that devalues and dehumanizes marital relationships that differ from the European norm. It then turns to an analysis of the forms of recognition in both Canada and South Africa. The former is examined through an investigation of historical case law and more recent constitutional issues, while the latter analysis …

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

A Gender-Based Approach To Historical Child Support: Comment On Colucci V Colucci, Jodi Lazare, Kelsey Warr

Canadian Journal of Family Law

In June 2021 the Supreme Court of Canada (the “Court”) released Colucci v Colucci, its second decision in twelve months dealing with the complex subject of historical (commonly referred to as retroactive) child support. The case worked a significant shift in the law, arguably the first major revision to the law since the Court’s initial consideration of historical child support in DBS, in 2006. This comment suggests that Colucci represents a new understanding of the way that claims for historical child support should be considered in Canadian family law. The comment argues that in changing the applicable framework, …

La Réception Au Québec Des Gestations Pour Autrui Délocalisées : La Filiation Post-Tourisme Procréatif En Mal D’Institution, Harith Al-Dabbagh

Canadian Journal of Family Law

L’essor de la gestation pour autrui transnationale, ces dernières décennies, a soulevé à l’égard du droit international privé des questions souvent épineuses. Au Québec, l’illicéité des conventions de mères porteuses a eu pour corollaire de pousser un certain nombre de couples en mal d’enfant à recourir à cette pratique à l’étranger où la loi locale l’autorise. La question est alors de savoir si l’enfant, né au terme de ce processus, peut voir sa filiation établie à l’égard du parent d’intention dépourvu du lien filial avec l’enfant. Après quelques tergiversations, la jurisprudence a admis, au nom de l’intérêt de l’enfant, …

The Influence Of Landmark Judgments And Statutory Changes On The Family Litigation Explosion: A Citation Network Analysis, Joseph Hickey, Lyndsay Campbell, Jörn Davidsen

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Family law in many countries has changed radically since the 1960s. However, despite family law’s central importance, few detailed quantitative analyses of the relationship between legal developments (landmark judgments and statutory changes) and the amount and subject of family litigation have been made. We examine this relationship using a unique dataset of citations among Canadian family law judgments from all levels of the court hierarchy. The network analysis draws attention to significant changes in law and legal practice over time. Not only did litigation increase overall, but the number of judgments involving multiple legal issues grew dramatically in the mid-1990s, …

Psychological Abuse Claims In Family Law Courts In Bc: Legal Applications And Gaps, Haya Sakakini

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This research paper investigates a particular form of family violence (“FV”) under the British Columbia Family Law Act (FLA): psychological abuse. The paper defines the scope and assessment of psychological abuse claims in family law courts (“courts”) in British Columbia since 2013. It identifies the shortcomings in addressing such claims and analyzes the multifaceted reasons behind the limitations and gaps which victims of psychological abuse face when bringing forward such claims.

The paper provides a brief background on FV and psychological abuse before moving on to identifying the various forms of psychological abuse accepted by courts in BC, …

The Children Parliament Left Behind: Examining The Inequity Of Funding In An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit And Métis Children, Youth And Families, Rachel Garrett

Canadian Journal of Family Law

An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act) came into force in January of 2020, containing many innovative provisions aimed at affirming the jurisdiction of Indigenous peoples and providing services for Indigenous families. Ground- breaking provisions within the Act create a positive obligation on the government to provide services to Indigenous children who otherwise would have been apprehended due to their socioeconomic status. However, the Act lacks a concrete funding provision. This legislative comment conducts an exercise in statutory interpretation to conclude that the current omission of a funding provision within the legislation …

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

La Fragilisation Du Lien De Confiance Au Sein De L’Intervention Sociale En Protection De La Jeunesse : Peut-On Blâmer Le Droit ?, Marilyn Coupienne

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Dans le contexte de la protection de la jeunesse, la Loi sur la protection de la jeunesse (LPJ) édicte les pouvoirs et responsabilités des intervenantes sociales œuvrant à la Direction de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ) et encadre la relation entre celles-ci et les familles. Cette loi octroie aux intervenantes un double mandat, qui implique à la fois celui de l’aide et celui du contrôle et de la surveillance. Selon la littérature relative aux pratiques sociales dans ce domaine, les familles suivies par la DPJ peuvent se sentir observées, traquées, dénuées d’intimité et considèrent difficile de laisser …

Children’S Place And Voice In Quebec’S Child Protection Proceedings, Mona Paré, Émilie De Bellefeuille

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This article explores children’s participation and their right to be heard in Quebec’s child protection proceedings. While children’s participation rights are well protected in international and domestic legal instruments, they have received little attention in relation to child protection. This article aims to fill a gap in the legal literature by reporting on the results of an empirical research project examining children’s participation in judicial child protection procedures in Quebec. The participation of judges, social workers, and children in this research sheds light on practice that is clearly inspired by the Quebec’s rights- advancing Youth Protection Act (YPA) …

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Respecting And Protecting Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children In Family Courts, Claire Houston

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Family court judges are increasingly being asked to resolve parenting disputes involving conflict over a child’s gender expression or identity. These disputes ask whether it is in the best interests of children to support their gender nonconformity, including any decision to transition to a gender different from the one they were assigned at birth. Despite more of these cases coming before family courts, judges have little guidance on how to resolve these cases in the best interests of children. Drawing on medical and social science literature and reported decisions, and applying a robust theory of children’s participation rights, this article …

Existe-T-Il Un « Droit À L’Enfant » En Droit Québecois?, Elisabeth Beauchamp

Canadian Journal of Family Law

La notion de « droit à l’enfant » est souvent soulevée dans le discours public, bien qu’aucune disposition législative au Québec ne prévoie un tel droit à proprement parler. Notre étude propose une analyse de l’ensemble des développements récents du droit de la famille québécois pour déterminer si un « droit à l’enfant » sous-jacent peut s’y inférer. De manière plus particulière, l’analyse porte sur l’émergence possible d’un « droit à l’enfant » dans les développements jurisprudentiels et législatifs relatifs à l’adoption, à la procréation assistée et à la gestation pour autrui. Nous tentons de démontrer que la substance du …

Icwa Downunder: Exploring The Costs And Benefits Of Enacting An Australian Version Of The United States' Indian Child Welfare Act, Marcia Zug

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Australian Indigenous Advocates have long sought the passage of Indigeous child-welfare legislation similar to the United States’s Indian Child Welfare Act. Recently, the Australian government has indicated it is receptive to the enactment of such legislation. However, an Australian version of the ICWA is not as simple as it sounds. The legal status of the Indigenous communities of Australia and American Indian tribes is vastly different thus, many of the ICWA’s provisions, particularly those based on a recognition of Indigenous sovereignty, would require significant modifications before they coud be applied in Australia. These modifications mean an Australian ICWA …

The "Threat" Of Marriage Fraud: A Story Of Precarity, Exclusion, And Belonging, Sarah Pringle

Canadian Journal of Family Law

Migrants can obtain permanent residency in Canada under the family-reunification category set out in s. 12(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). Canadian citizens or permanent residents may apply to sponsor their non-citizen spouse, common law or conjugal partner, or other relatives to move to Canada pursuant to s. 117(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). The bad-faith clause under s. 4(1) of the IRPR requires spousal-sponsorship applicants to prove to visa officers that, on a balance of probabilities, their relationship is “genuine” and not “entered into primarily for the purpose of …

Does Domestic Violence Disappear From Parental Alienation Cases? Five Lessons From Quebec For Judges, Scholars, And Policymakers, Suzanne Zaccour

Canadian Journal of Family Law

The theory of parental alienation—which asserts that children who reject one parent are brainwashed by the other parent—has often been used to punish caring mothers and grant custody to dangerous fathers. The legal community’s quick infatuation with this concept has sparked fiery debates between its proponents and domestic violence scholars. My research contributes to this urgent conversation by shedding new light on the role of domestic violence in parental alienation cases.

I observe how series of cases involving the same family deal with the issue of domestic violence. This method reveals a worrisome “disappearing act”: as families repeatedly interact with …

Front Matter

Canadian Journal of Family Law

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Disparue Comme Par Magie ? La Violence Conjugale Dans Les Cas D’Aliénation Parentale Au Québec, Suzanne Zaccour

Canadian Journal of Family Law

La théorie de l’« aliénation parentale » — qui affirme que des enfants rejettent un parent en raison d’un lavage de cerveau fait par l’autre parent — a souvent été utilisée pour punir des mères attentionnées et accorder la garde à des pères dangereux. L’engouement fulgurant de la communauté juridique pour ce concept a donc suscité des débats enflammés entre ses partisan·es et les chercheur·ses en violence conjugale.

Mon article contribue à cette conversation urgente en jetant un éclairage nouveau sur le rôle de la violence conjugale dans les cas d’aliénation parentale.

J’observe comment des séries de jugements impliquant la …

Retrospective Removal Of Gamete Donor Anonymity: Policy Recommendations For Ontario Based On The Victorian Experience, Alicia Czarnowski

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the gamete-donor anonymity schemes in Ontario, Canada and Victoria, Australia. As of March 1, 2017, Victoria became the first jurisdiction in the world to retrospectively remove gamete-donor anonymity. Conversely, donor anonymity remains protected in Ontario, largely through statutory silence. While many donor conceived individuals are calling for other jurisdictions to follow suit and retrospectively abolish anonymity, an in-depth analysis of Victoria’s policy-making process suggests that Ontario should not take a similar course of action. This conclusion is based on the inherent issues with retrospective legislation, the historical differences between the two jurisdictions in …

Confronting Cannibalism, Review Of Hadley Louise Friedland, The Wetiko Legal Principles: Cree And Anishinabek Responses To Violence And Victimization​ (Univ. Toronto Press, 2018), Lisa M. Kelly, Shelby Percival

Canadian Journal of Family Law

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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 …