moved for leave to introduce Bill C-560, An Act to amend the Divorce Act (equal parenting) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.
Mr. Speaker, I am quite honoured in these few moments to be introducing a private member's bill that would direct the courts in regard to divorce to make equal shared parenting the presumptive arrangement in the best interest of the child, except in proven cases of abuse or neglect.
Fifteen years ago, a joint House-Senate committee presented to Parliament a report entitled “For the Sake of the Children”. That report urged Parliament to amend the Divorce Act to make equal shared parenting the normative determination by courts dealing with situations of divorce involving children. This non-partisan recommendation from that joint House-Senate report was based on compelling research made available to the committee members.
Over the past 15 years, the best research has continued to demonstrate far superior outcomes for children in general when both parents, mom and dad, are actively involved in their children's lives, even if the parents divorce or separate.
Polling from the past several years demonstrates overwhelming support from Canadians for this equal shared parenting. There is in fact slightly more support among women than men for equal parenting. This strong support from almost 80% of Canadians exists across the country, with the strongest regional support coming from Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Canadians claiming to be Liberal and Bloc supporters expressed the strongest endorsement for equal shared parenting, at 80.6% among Liberals and 82.9% among Bloc Québécois supporters, with the NDP and Conservatives just slightly under 80%.
A variety of countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Australia, and various U.S. states have implemented equal parenting, joint custody, or shared parenting presumptive legislation, which has resulted in lower court costs, less conflict, and improved social outcomes for the children of divorce.
This bill is one of the most apolitical, non-partisan pieces of legislation introduced in this current Parliament.
I look forward to strong support for this important piece of legislation from all members of Parliament who are committed to the best interests of our children.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)