I am beyond thrilled that my Private Member's Bill, the Keeping Children Safe Act, has passed second reading and is now headed to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights for further study. When my name was drawn fourth in the order of precedence for Private Member's Bills in the 45th session of Parliament, it was like winning the lottery, and I knew right away what law I wanted to pass. Suzanne Zaccour, director of Legal Affairs for the National Association of Women and Law, first raised with me the widespread issues in family court causing unconscionable harm to children during divorce proceedings, and she introduced me to survivors, including children, with horrifying stories. Children said no one listened to them when they disclosed fear, or established good reasons for estrangement from one of their parents. Preferred, protective parents who had disclosed domestic violence lost the ability to contact their child, or even send a birthday card, for years, because the court's priority was repairing the relationship between the child and the estranged parent. The Keeping Children Safe Act says that children are not necessarily best off splitting time between both parents. The courts should look at every circumstance, and take abuse allegations seriously. Domestic violence should be an aggravating factor in custody decisions, not a reason to remove a child from a protective parent's life. I have been overwhelmed by the response to my bill from across the country.
The full content of the Bill is available www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/45-1/c-223. |
February 5, 2026
