Submission to the BC Ministry of Justice Regarding the Family Law Act

In September 2016, West Coast LEAF wrote to the BC Ministry of Justice in response to two consultation papers about property division and guardianship under BC’s Family Law Act.

We spoke out against proposed amendments to the Act that would give guardianship to all biological parents without requiring significant involvement in caring for a child. This change would lead to disproportionate negative impacts for women, who are more likely than men to assume a primary caregiving role and more likely to be harmed by violence perpetrated by a biological parent of their child.

We also called for the Act‘s presumptions about property division after separation or divorce to protect women’s equality, with recognition of gender-based economic inequalities and the barriers women often face in negotiating fair financial settlements.

Read our submission. (PDF, 408 KB)