moved for leave to introduce Bill C-309, an act to amend the Divorce Act (custody of grandchildren).
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise and introduce a private member's bill to amend the Divorce Act. In essence what the bill would do is deal with the very complex and often emotional subject of divorce and the implications for children and parents and for grandparents and in fact all families. Those impacts are significant across the country.
The bill would amend the Divorce Act to allow grandparents to apply for custody of their grandchildren without leave of the court. Clearly it would still have to be granted by the court in the final analysis, but it would in fact provide an avenue that is clearly not there at present. It would give grandparents automatic standing should they choose to seek it and it would entrench an undeniable interest and right of grandparents. I urge hon. members to support the bill and I thank my colleague from Medicine Hat for seconding it.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)