Family Law Act

What was this engagement about?

The Family Law Act came fully into force on March 18, 2013, replacing the Family Relations Act. The new act significantly changed the way guardianship and parenting arrangements are conceptualized within family law in British Columbia, introducing new terminology as well as a new framework for determining parents’ responsibilities towards their children. The Family Law Act also reformed the division of property, listing the types of property that are excluded from family property and generally will not be divided up after the parties separate.
 
Whenever new legislation is enacted, it is anticipated the courts will provide guidance on how the new legislative provisions are to be interpreted as cases are decided using the new law. There are now three years of case law interpreting the Family Law Act.  Feedback received by government suggests that this is an opportune time to consider particular issues that have been raised related to guardianship and division of property under the Family Law Act.
 
Government invited input on the issues and questions related to guardianship set out in the “Discussion Paper: Guardianship Issues under the Family Law Act”, as well as the issues and questions related to property division set out in the “Discussion Paper: The Presumption of Advancement and Property Division under the Family Law Act”.
 

How can my contribution make a difference?

Feedback on the issues and questions related to the discussion papers was accepted until September 30, 2016.
 

Details of the Engagement:

Date: August 22 to September 30, 2016

Status: Closed

Location: Province-Wide

Category: Families & Residents

Types: Email, mail