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→Reconciliation
==Reconciliation==
For some people, separation is it. Their relationship is irrevocably over. For others, a period of separation is a time for renewing trust and rebuilding intimacy, and might can be a healthy break that rejuvenates and revitalizes a relationship.
===The ''Divorce Act''===
The ''[[Divorce Act]]'' actually tries to discourage divorce, believe it or not. There are a few parts of the act that promote reconciliation so that to help married spouses stay together. Section 7.7 requires lawyers to talk to their clients about getting back togetherand says this:
<blockquote><tt>(1) Unless the circumstances of the case are of such a nature that it would clearly not be appropriate to do so, it is the duty of every legal adviser who undertakes to act on a spouse’s behalf in a divorce proceeding</tt></blockquote>
===The ''Family Law Act''===
Because the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' doesn't talk about divorce, it also doesn't talk about separation and attempts to reconcile. The one exception to this general rule has to do with the division of property and debt under Part 5 of the act. Section 83 says this:
<blockquote><tt>(1) For the purposes of this Part, spouses are not considered to have separated if, within one year after separation,</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(2) Nothing in this Part affects a division of property under an agreement or order in a circumstance where, after the agreement or order was made, spouses live together and then separate again.</tt></blockquote>
These provisions are important because the date of separation is the date when new property and new debt stop being shared family property and family debt and start being each spouse's separate property and debt. The general effect of this section is to reset the date of separation when spouses have resumed living together, so that the date that family property and family debt stop accumulating is moved to the next time the spouses separate. However, if the spouses have made an agreement or got an order about the division of property between the date they first separated and the date they reconciled, that agreement or order is still good.
==Things to think about after separation==