Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Casson.
First, I'd like to congratulate you. Your amendment, which would amend the Divorce Act, is a really good one. The act was proclaimed in 1968, under Trudeau and the Liberals. For nearly 40 years, this act has been causing us problems, in families and in society. As you say, we have to try to protect children with this legislation so that their interests take precedence. At least that's the way I see it.
In Quebec, there tends to be an imbalance in terms of custody orders. In many cases, the woman gets custody of children under five.
Very often, what happens is what's called an alienation of affection, that is to say, the custodial parent has so much control over the mind of the child that the child ends up rejecting the other parent. This type of behaviour is of course not allowed, but it's very hard to prove or even deal with legally.
In Quebec, under the Legal Aid Act, young children, though minors, can apply for legal aid given their lack of financial means. They can ask to see their father or mother in the terminal stage. That's great. That didn't use to be an option.
I think this is a very significant step forward, and it's to your credit. Take, for example, a 7-, 8-, 9- or 10-year-old child who has had an alienation of affection and stopped seeing their father five or six years ago. Let's just assume it's a father. At some point, the child learns from uncles and aunts that the father is not doing very well. The mother, who has alienated the child, wants to keep the child to herself. I'm not faulting her; she's only human. In that case, the child could go to legal aid and ask, through a lawyer, to see the father. In other cases, it could be the mother. It's a delicate situation. The child is going against the wishes of the custodial parent.
This bill would enable a parent in ill health, who might be unable to go to court in the terminal stage, to see the child if the child has requested it.
Do you see it the same way I do, as a new opportunity for children, an opportunity to visit a parent with the help of legal aid, as is done in Quebec?