Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to speak to e-petition 6626.
Extensive social science research shows that children of separated or divorced parents exercise significantly better physical, emotional, social and academic outcomes when they spend equal or near-equal time with both parents, barring safety concerns.
In Canada, public opinion polling since 2007 shows that over 70% of Canadians, across all genders, regions and political affiliations, support legislation that establishes a presumption of equal shared parenting in child custody matters.
Over 17,000 Canadians have signed this petition calling upon the House of Commons to amend the Divorce Act and to establish a rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting, defined as joint decision-making responsibility and equal or maximized practical parenting time in the best interest of the child, except where evidence demonstrates that such an arrangement would not be appropriate due to concerns for the child's safety or well-being.