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- Title
Shared Parenting in Canada: Increasing Use But Continued Controversy.
- Authors
Bala, Nicholas; Birnbaum, Rachel; Poitras, Karine; Saini, Michael; Cyr, Francine; LeClair, Shawna
- Abstract
There is a complex interplay between federal and provincial parenting statutes in Canada. Although most statutes continue to use the traditional concepts of 'custody' and 'access,' in practice most lawyers and judges use more child-focused terminology for parenting plans. There is a lack of reliable data on postseparation parenting in Canada, though a number of studies and data sources clearly indicate that there is growing use of various forms of shared parenting. Child support law in Canada defines 'shared custody,' as occurring if each parent has the child at least 40% of the time, and this arrangement currently is used in about a fifth of parenting orders. Reform of the parenting-related provisions of Canada's Divorce Act remains contentious. We argue for statutory change to abandon the archaic terminology of 'custody' and 'access' and for adoption of more child-focused terminology. We do not support proposals made by fathers' rights advocates in Canada for a presumption of equal parenting time.
- Subjects
CANADA; PART-time parenting; CHILD care; PARENT attitudes; SOCIAL psychology; PARENT-child relationships; CUSTODY of children; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Family Court Review, 2017, Vol 55, Issue 4, p513
- ISSN
1531-2445
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/fcre.12301