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==Introduction==
Under the federal ''[[Divorce Act]]'', the time children have with their parents is called "parenting time," and parents' responsibility for making decisions about their children is called "decision-making responsibility." Under the provincial ''[[Family Law Act]]'', the time children have with their parents is called "parenting time," and parents' responsibility for making decisions about their children is called "parental responsibilities." However, parenting time under the ''Divorce Act'' means the same thing as parenting time under the ''Family Law Act'', and while there are some differences in how the ''Divorce Act'' talks about decision-making responsibilities and how the ''Family Law Act'' talks about parental responsibilities, you can think of them as meaning the same thing.
Unfortunately, this is where the similarities end. The ''Divorce Act'' only applies to people who are or who used to be married to each other. Under the ''Divorce Act'', the people who have parenting time and decision-making responsibility are ''spouses'', and a "spouse" might be a parent or a step-parent. The people who have "contact" with children are people who aren't "spouses." People who aren't spouses may, in certain circumstances, ask for parenting time and decision-making responsibility.