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The ''[http://canlii.ca/t/7vbw Divorce Act]'', RSC 1985, c 3 (2nd Supp) is a federal law that you can find, along with other federal laws, at the website of the [http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/D-3.4/page-1.html federal Department of Justice], or on [http://canlii.ca/t/7vbw CanLII], a free website for searching Canadian court decisions and legislation. Because of a constitutional rule called the | The ''[http://canlii.ca/t/7vbw Divorce Act]'', RSC 1985, c 3 (2nd Supp) is a federal law that you can find, along with other federal laws, at the website of the [http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/D-3.4/page-1.html federal Department of Justice], or on [http://canlii.ca/t/7vbw CanLII], a free website for searching Canadian court decisions and legislation. Because of a constitutional rule called the "doctrine of paramountcy," the ''Divorce Act'' is considered to be "superior" to the provincial ''[[Family Law Act]]''. As a result, if you are entitled to ask for an order under the ''Divorce Act'' about child support or spousal support, you probably should. | ||
The ''Divorce Act'' only applies to ''married spouses'', people who are or were married to each other by a marriage commissioner or a religious official licensed to perform marriages. If you are not legally married, the ''Family Law Act'' is the only game in town. Although the court may allow someone who isn't a spouse to apply under the ''Divorce Act'' for an order relating to custody of or access to a child, that person must get the court's permission first, and the spouses must have already started a court proceeding between each other. | The ''Divorce Act'' only applies to ''married spouses'', people who are or were married to each other by a marriage commissioner or a religious official licensed to perform marriages. If you are not legally married, the ''Family Law Act'' is the only game in town. Although the court may allow someone who isn't a spouse to apply under the ''Divorce Act'' for an order relating to custody of or access to a child, that person must get the court's permission first, and the spouses must have already started a court proceeding between each other. | ||
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*child support, and | *child support, and | ||
*spousal support. | *spousal support. | ||
The ''Divorce Act'' is going to change in 2020, as a result of [https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-78/third-reading Bill C-78]. Among other things, how we talk about the care of children will change. We will be talking about "parenting orders" and "parenting plans" that cover "decision-making responsibilities," "parenting time" and "contact" with a child. Other changes will: | |||
#expand the things courts and parents have to think about when deciding what is in the best interests of children; | |||
#require parents to protect the children from their conflict; | |||
#require parents to try to resolve family law disputes out of court before going to court; and, | |||
#implement new rules for when one parent wants to move with a child away from the other parents. | |||
''[[JP Boyd on Family Law]]'' provides extensive coverage of the ''Divorce Act'', including a chapter on [[Divorce Act Basics|''Divorce Act'' Basics]]. | ''[[JP Boyd on Family Law]]'' provides extensive coverage of the ''Divorce Act'', including a chapter on [[Divorce Act Basics|''Divorce Act'' Basics]]. |