Child protection highlight of spring session
Making separation, divorce less difficult will make big difference in lives of children, families
In my 16 years as an MLA, I have never been more proud to be a member of the Legislative Assembly than during the past spring session.
Our Government met its commitment of fiscal responsibility with a balanced budget. We invested in improving the lives of Islanders with increased spending in health and education. We increased food rates and the comfort allowance, and we reduced personal income taxes to benefit approximately 85,000 low-income Islanders.
Outside of Question Period, which often contains an element of theatre, a substantial amount of work was done.
In my opinion, the most significant accomplishment of the spring session was the collaborative work to support legislative changes that will strengthen protection for children and families in high-conflict family relationships as a result of separation and divorce.
Making separation and divorce less difficult and helping families improve communication and reduce conflict will make a big difference in the lives of children and families.
With the support of all MLAs, amendments were made to four bills: the Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act; Family Law Act; Judicature Act and the Maintenance Enforcement Act.
These legislative changes will protect children and give them a stronger voice when the adults in their lives are in conflict. The changes will also ensure that children are not disadvantaged by the failure of one of their parents to meet their legal and financial obligations to provide for their children.
A new Children’s Lawyer will work directly with children who require the services of a lawyer to protect their interests. This position will have broad powers to file court applications, conduct investigations, and act on behalf of all children.
A Parenting Coordinator will be hired to launch a new parenting coordination program providing families with access to qualified professionals in family law, mental health and dispute resolution. This will be the first publicly-funded, parenting co-ordinator office in Canada providing a public service to families in high conflict.
Changes to the Family Law Act will further enable parents to resolve their disputes outside of the adversarial court system. Additional enforcement powers were given to the Director of Maintenance Enforcement to increase enforcement of support orders, which will benefit single parent families and help them settle issues out of court.
These changes will strengthen protection for children inside and outside the courtroom. I am proud of this work and of our commitment to supporting children and families in vulnerable situations to ensure present and future generations of Islanders thrive as contributing members of our community.