Canada: National Child Day with announcement of Equal Parenting Bill

Submitted by Matt on Fri, 2008-11-21 20:33

Press release:

Vellacott celebrates National Child Day with announcement of Equal Parenting Bill

For Immediate Release
November 20, 2008

OTTAWA – “Today is National Child Day. It is a great day to be talking about the best interests of children,” says Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin). “My next initiative – in an 11-year political history of fighting for Canada’s children – is a bill to require a presumption of equal, shared parenting in child custody decisions.”

In the last Parliament, Vellacott introduced M-483, a Private Member's MOTION advocating equal, shared parenting. In this parliament, he is preparing to introduce a Private Member's BILL that would amend the Divorce Act to direct judges to demonstrate a presumption of equal, shared parenting in cases of marital breakdown where children are involved. Exceptions will exist for cases of abuse and neglect.

“The overwhelming testimony from the best research is that children’s interests are best served when they are raised by both parents,” said Vellacott.

“In cases of marital breakdown, this must be facilitated with greater emphasis being given to equal, shared parenting by Canadian courts when they decide on custodial and access questions,” he added.

A 1998 Canadian Special Joint House-Senate Committee on Child Custody and Access produced a report entitled “For The Sake of the Children.” This report had important recommendations on equal, shared parenting. This year is the 10th anniversary of the release of that Report.

Up to now, governments have failed to implement the important child-friendly recommendations from this report. Vellacott gives special recognition to the 10th anniversary by stating his intent to introduce a Private Members’ Bill to implement equal, shared parenting provisions in federal law.

Vellacott.M-at-parl.gc.ca

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Comments

I wish all the best to Mr Vellacott with this bill.

“The overwhelming testimony from the best research is that children’s interests are best served when they are raised by both parents,”

This particular concept has been held under a great deal of scrutiny and doubt for the last 10 years despite the overwelmingly large amount of evidence supporting it. Let's hope the conservatives of the UK can come up with a similar approach to equal parenting.

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Submitted by Mr VanHuizen on Sat, 2008-11-22 11:17

manonthestreet

Well it sounds OK on the surface. But my scepticism as well as my cynicism makes me think that all these things will in the end just turn into another way of getting more money out of the men. You know the only reason there is marriage at all,which up to now was rigorously enforced by the state, is to force men to support women. So that's the historical truth and I think the same attitude underpins everything that society does when it comes to family matters. Beware of large wooded horses which you take as a gift from the Gods.

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Submitted by trotter on Sat, 2008-11-22 11:35

Well, this seems like a step in the right direction. Hopefully it will be.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

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Submitted by xtrnl on Tue, 2008-11-25 01:26