Feds postpone changes to Divorce Act until 2021
Published June 5, 2020 at 7:50 pm
Due to the unusual and unforeseen circumstances associated with the pandemic, the Federal Government has announced it will be postponing changes to the Divorce Act.
The changes to the Act were scheduled to come into force on July 1. However, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, David Lametti, has announced these changes will now come into force March 1, 2021.
These changes were implemented with the intention of promoting the best interests of children involved, addressing family violence, helping reduce child poverty, and making the family justice system more accessible and efficient.
Currently, as a result of the pandemic, many of Ontario’s courts are only hearing urgent family law matters, and governments are focused on addressing pandemic-related urgencies and priorities.
These unprecedented circumstances have made the necessary steps for implementation impossible to carry out.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the operation of governments, courts and Canada’s family justice system. After consultation with the provinces and territories, we have determined that a delay in the coming into force of changes to the Divorce Act is necessary to ensure they have sufficient time to adjust their laws and regulations to reflect the legislative changes in the Divorce Act,” Lametti said in a news release.
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“We understand how important the changes to the Divorce Act are to Canadians affected by separation and divorce, especially to vulnerable family members. We are working hard with our partners to implement these changes,” he continued.
Cover photo courtesy of David Lametti’s Instagram
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