Equal Parenting Motion Defeated But Changes to Divorce Act Promised
Today the House of Commons voted 174-80 against MP Maurice Vellacott’s Equal Parenting motion. The Conservative Party cabinet was whipped to join the NDP and Liberals and vote against it. We interviewed Mr. Vellacott about his motion on Lighthouse News and you can listen to there here.
Vellacott was not deterred by the defeat, calling it a “milestone in the efforts by Canadians from across the country to secure the best interests of children.” He added “the need for equal shared parenting is on the social and political radar like it has never been before due to Bill C-560 and the grassroots work of so many men and women from every Party across this country, educating their Members of Parliament on the best interests of the children of divorce. The timing is perfect with the avalanche of social science research these days demonstrating the need for the continued active involvement of both their fit parents in the lives of children.”
Although the Cabinet was whipped to oppose the motion (was this out of spite against Vellacott’s outspoken pro-family and pro-life perspective?) there was a ray of hope. Vellacott noted that during debate the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, Bob Dechert, promised Canadians that the government would “review the custody and access provisions of the Divorce Act and, in so doing, will consider how it can further encourage parents to rely less on adversarial processes and focus on the needs of their children.”
