Mr. Speaker, today I am speaking to Bill C-223, the keeping children safe act, aimed to strengthen protections for children and survivors in family law proceedings where family violence or coercive control may be present. I want to begin by thanking my friend and colleague the hon. member for Hamilton Mountain for bringing this important legislation forward and for her continued work to ensure that the safety and well-being of children remains at the centre of Canada's family justice system. This bill addresses issues Parliament has examined carefully over many years: family violence, coercive control and the misuse of parental alienation claims and the profound impact these harms can have on children.
At its core, Bill C-223 is guided by a simple and essential principle: When families are in crisis, children must come first. Children are not legal strategies. They are not leverage in disputes. They are individuals with rights, needs and voices who deserve protection. However, Parliament has heard through committee studies and testimony that too often children have been separated from the parent who provides their primary care and safety, not because it was in their best interest but because allegations were raised without a full and informed understanding of family violence or coercive control. This bill seeks to correct this by ensuring that child safety, not litigation tactics, is the guiding principle in family law decisions.
For too long, violence within families has been understood primarily in physical terms, but through research, lived experience and extensive testimony before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, the committee learned that harm can also be emotional, psychological, financial and controlling. Coercive control is not a single incident; it is a pattern of behaviour. Witnesses from women's shelters and victim services organizations described how coercive control can include isolating a partner from family or community, monitoring movements, restricting access to finances and using intimidation to instill fear and compliance.
One organization representative told the committee that in their experience supporting survivors, physical violence is almost always preceded by coercive behaviour, and that coercive control often continues even when physical abuse stops. A witness from another victim services organization emphasized that coercive control is a critical warning sign that must not be ignored, particularly when children are involved. Critically, the committee heard that these behaviours often persist after separation and can continue through family law proceedings themselves, impacting family law with respect to children.
One of the most troubling findings of the status of women committee study was how parental alienation claims can be misused in cases involving coercive control. Witnesses explained that when courts do not fully recognize coercive dynamics, protective parents, most often women, may be portrayed as obstructive, while a child's fear or resistance to contact is misunderstood or minimized. In such cases, children may be placed in unsafe situations or separated from the parent who is actually protecting them.
The committee also heard the testimony of witnesses from organizations who described the devastating consequences of failing to recognize coercive control early. They pointed to national inquiries and identified coercive control as a central factor in tragic outcomes, noting that missed opportunities to intervene by institutions and systems can have irreversible consequences for victims and their children. The committee was clear. When coercive control is misunderstood or dismissed, children pay the price.
That is why Bill C-223 matters. The bill would amend the Divorce Act to strengthen protections for children and survivors in family law proceedings where family violence or coercive control may be present. It would do this in several important ways.
First, it would limit the misuse of parental alienation claims, ensuring that courts do not rely on such claims in ways that undermine child safety or silence survivors. This is critical, because survivors should not be blamed for failing to facilitate the child's relationship with an abuser, particularly where violence or coercive control is present.
Second, the bill would prohibit courts from ordering harmful reunification practices that force children into contact intended to repair a relationship with the parent when safety is not assured.
Third, it would expand the responsibilities of legal advisers to ensure that risks of family violence are assessed and that appropriate safety planning is considered during divorce proceedings.
Fourth, it would reinforce that there is no automatic presumption of equal parenting time. This decision must be grounded in the child's best interest, including their safety and well-being. Finally, the bill would strengthen how courts consider the child's voice while protecting their safety and privacy, and direct courts to avoid relying on harmful myths or stereotypes about family violence, such as the assumption that to be credible, abuse must be reported immediately or leave visible injuries.
Together, these measures would help ensure that children are protected, survivors are not penalized, and clear guidance is given.
In 2019, Parliament modernized the Divorce Act to require courts to give primary consideration to a child's safety, security and well-being, and to consider family violence as part of that analysis. Those reforms were significant. However, the status of women committee's work demonstrated that further clarity and reinforcement are needed, particularly when coercive behaviour continues after separation and manifests within the family law proceedings. Bill C-223 would strengthen that foundation by responding directly to what Parliament has learned since.
On November 25, the committee released its report containing some recommendations informed directly by testimonies. These testimonies were from survivors, advocates, shelters and victim services organizations from across Canada. Their voices made it clear that coercive control can take many forms, emotional, psychological, financial and controlling, and that children's safety is at risk when these behaviours are not properly recognized.
The report emphasized that the system must stop penalizing survivors for protecting their children and must instead focus on safety, context and evidence. Bill C-223 responds to those findings. It reinforces that assumptions have no place in family law decisions, and that child safety, not litigation tactics, must guide outcomes.
Violence does not always leave visible marks. Fear can silence families, and children must never be separated from safety. Bill C-223 respects the complexity of family law in Canada while keeping children where they belong, at the centre of every decision. I call on colleagues on all sides of the House to join me in supporting this important legislation. Together we can continue to build a family justice system that is compassionate, evidence-based and firmly centred on keeping children safe.