The ''Family Law Act'' is a British Columbia law that you can find, along with other provincial laws, at the official government website of the [http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/00_11025_01 Queen's Printer] or on [http://canlii.ca/t/8q3k CanLII], a free website that lets you search Canadian laws and court decisions. The ''Family Law Act'' covers these basic subjects:
#*determining who the parents of a child are;,#*guardianship of children;,#*parental responsibilities;,#*parenting time and contact with children;,#*moving away, with or without children;,#*child support;,#*managing children's property;,#*spousal support;,#*dividing property and debt;,#*orders protecting people; , and,#*orders protecting property.
The ''Family Law Act'' 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;,#*''unmarried spouses'', people who live, or used to live, together in a romantic relationship;,#*people who are the ''parents'' of a child together; , and,#*people who are the ''guardians'' of a child.
Unlike the ''[[Divorce Act]]'', there are no rules requiring you to live in British Columbia for a certain amount of time before you can ask the court for an order under the ''Family Law Act''.
Section 3 of the act says who is a "spouse:"
Someone who is a ''married spouse'' or an ''unmarried spouse'' can ask the court for:
#*an order that they pay or receive spousal support; , and,#*an order for the division of property and debt, as long as a person who is an unmarried spouse has lived with their partner for at least two years.
Anyone can ask the court for:
#*a declaration about who the parents of a child are;,#*an order that they have contact with a child;,#*an order appointing them as the guardian of a child; , and,#*an order about the management of a child's property.
''[[JP Boyd on Family Law]]'' provides extensive coverage of the ''Family Law Act'', including a chapter on [[Family Law Act Basics|''Family Law Act'' Basics]].