Only the ''[[Divorce Act]]'' deals with divorce, and the ''Divorce Act'' only applies to married spouses. Only the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' deals with the guardianship of children and the division of property and debts, but the ''Family Law Act'' applies to everyone, regardless of the nature of their family relationship. Both statutes deal with parenting children, children's parenting schedules, child support, and spousal support. One of the most important distinctions between the two laws, as we'll talk about later, is how they define important terms like ''spouse'', ''parent'', and ''child''. Depending on the particular law you're dealing with, you may fall inside these definitions or outside of them, and that can have an important impact on your family law problem and the options available to you.

Spousal support is usually calculated using the [[Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines]], whether your case is under the ''Divorce Act'' or the ''Family Law Act''. The Advisory Guidelines isn't a statute or a regulation. It is an academic paper that proposes different formulas for calculating the amount of spousal support that should be paid and the length of time it should be paid for. Even though the Advisory Guidelines is a paper, all of Canada's courts have accepted its formulas as a good way to calculate spousal support.

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