Family Law Act Modernization
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Overview
Who: The Ministry of the Attorney General
What: Modernization of the Family Law Act
Where: Province-wide
Why: To better support and address modern British Columbians
How: Online
Engagement Summary
The Family Law Act (FLA) is B.C.’s primary statute for families going through separation and divorce. The statute:
- Places the safety and best interests of children first
- Encourages families to resolve their disputes outside of court
- Addresses family violence
- Clarifies parental responsibilities
- Clarifies the division of property
As society in B.C. changes, it is important that the FLA remains up to date to reflect those changes, as well as developments in case law.
The B.C. Ministry of Attorney General is modernizing the FLA to ensure people in B.C. have access to fair and equitable justice.
Phase 1 of the FLA modernization project included a review of the division of property and spousal support provisions. Other topics under the FLA will be considered in later phases of the project.
Public engagement on property division and spousal support took place from July 26 to September 9, 2022. During the engagement, a background paper and detailed discussion paper were posted on the govTogetherBC website for the public to learn about specific issues being considered. The public was invited to provide feedback by completing a survey or by sending a written response. The feedback received from the survey and written submissions has been summarized in a What We Heard Report.
A public consultation on the division of pensions under the FLA was conducted through the British Columbia Law Institute and the resulting report is published on their website at https://www.bcli.org/project/pension-division-review-project/
Results
- 92 survey submissions
- 16 written responses
The survey respondents included 39 interested members of the public, 15 lawyers, 13 legal professionals, and 25 other individuals many of which identified themselves as support workers.
The written responses were submitted by lawyers, professional legal organizations, advocacy groups, a First Nation, a public organization, and a not-for-profit society.
Read the full What We Heard Report.
Input leads to action
Feedback gathered through this public engagement has helped expand our understanding of the issues and how they are experienced. The feedback has been summarized in a What We Heard Report and will help contribute to further analysis and policy development. We thank those who took the time to provide their feedback.
