GOAL 4. Improve family justice
Family breakdown is one of the most common legal issues in Canada. It is also one of the most personally costly to your wallet, your heart, and the people around you. Over 50% of people in Canada represent themselves in family breakdown cases — trying to manage their own separation, child custody, and financial arrangements, including going to court — because they cannot afford the cost of legal help.
Canada’s justice sector organizations are shifting the focus in family law cases — putting children at the centre of the process to support their healthy growth, finding the fastest and least contentious paths to resolution, and protecting children and parents who experience violence or abuse.
2022 Progress
In 2022, the family law sector supported child welfare and protection initiatives, including Child Protection Practice Groups, Family Case Conferences, and rosters of lawyers specialised in high-conflict parenting matters. Innovations included self-guided online courses on filing for divorce, parenting after separation, and navigating family courts.
4.1 Offer a broad range of services
Make family law services easier to find, including triage, early intervention, integrated and collaborative processes, parenting and financial services
4.2 Promote consensual resolution
Develop and expand proactive management of family issues and more consensual approaches and services, maintaining a focus on safety
4.3 Innovate
Educate people about less adversarial approaches and experiment with new services and processes to create opportunities for consensus resolution
4.4 Restructure family courts
Locate all of the aspects of family law in the same place, including separation, custody and access, and divorce, ideally under one judge