Volume 20, Number 1, 2003
Articles
- Putting Revisions to the Divorce Act Through a Family Violence Research Filter: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Linda C. Neilson
The article is a survey of proposed amendments to the Divorce Act R.S. 1985, c.3 in the context of current domestic violence research with particular attention to the needs and interests of children. The author concludes that, although Bill C-22 improves some aspects of the current Divorce Act, the Canadian government has missed an important opportunity to advance the state of Canadian Law. Bill C-22, as currently drafted, does little other than to codify existing law. It is unlikely to produce positive change in the divorce experiences of abused women and their children; a number of provisions could make matters worse. The article concludes with a list of recommended alterations to Bill C-22 that would better protect abused women and their children in accordance with the child-centred policy statements of the Government of Canada.
- Quelle famille pour le XXIe siècle? Perspectives Québécoises - Benoît Moore
L'auteur, autour du thème de l'avenir de la famille, explore deux manifestations de ce qu'il appelle "l'objectivation" de celle-ci. Ce phénomène, issu d'une pluralisation des modes de vie, s'illustre en un premier temps par l'éclatement de la filiations du à une certaine réification de la personne. D'un modèle binaire et sexué, copié de la nature, on accepte aujourd' hui tant la filiation unilinéaire qu'homosexuelle et on se rapproche d'une possible filiations trilinéaire. En ce sens, l'éclatement du modèle semble consommé. En un second temps, cette "objectiveation" de la famille découle de la pluralité des types d'unions. L'auteur, tout en présant sommairement la réglementations actuelle du gariane et de la récent union civile, soulève la question d'une éventuelle extension de "l'union de droit" dans la législation québécoise.
- Violence Against Women and Children: Some Legal Issues - Cynthia L. Chewter
This article addresses some legal issues faced by victims of spousal abuse and their children. The focus of the article is on violence directed against women and children. Family violence is a pervasive problem in Canada. Affected families frequently find themselves before the courts, in criminal proceedings, family law proceedings, or often, both. If there are children, the spouses may have regular contact for years after separation. Often, this contact provides an opportunity for the abuse to continue. The challenge for lawyers, judges, police, court staff, community service workers and other professionals is to understand the complex dynamics of family violence and work to ensure that all family members - women and children and men - are safe from violence and abuse.
Case Comments
- The German Federal Constitutional Court on Same-Sex Life Partnerships and Same-Sex Marriage: Comparing Apples with Oranges - Dierk Ullrich
- Miglin v. Miglin 2003 SCC 24 - “They are Agreements Nonetheless”- Carol Rogerson
Book Review
- Susan B. Boyd, Child Custody, Law, and Women's Work. (Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, 2003). - Shelley A.M. Gavigan