A new proposed Quebec legal framework for common-law couples who become parents after June 2025 will be entrusted with new rights and obligations, and benefit from some protections granted to married couples, a development viewed by family law experts as a step in the right direction. But Bill 56, aimed at providing a better safety net for children, falls short on several levels.
A proposed Quebec legislative reform that recognizes and regulates surrogacy, establishes new regulations on parentage, and aims to protect children born as a result of sexual assault has been commended by notaries but drawn mixed reaction from family law experts.
The Quebec government should establish a comprehensive “made in Quebec” legal framework to tackle intimate partner violence by creating a specific right to adequate housing under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and introduce comprehensive legislation that institutes a right to be free from domestic violence that includes legal recourses in civil matters, according to a report by legal experts.
A sperm donor was granted access rights by the Quebec Court of Appeal after he was deemed as a “significant” third party whose presence “could probably benefit” the child in a decision that has perplexed some family law experts.
“During these incidents the offender punched the victim in the knees, hit her on the head and on her ears, pushed her, dragged her on the ground, slapped her, bit her, spat in her face, head-butted her, shook her, pulled her hair and grabbed her by the shoulders while threatening to throw her off a balcony.”
Following in the footsteps of Quebec, a new tort in family violence has been recognized in Ontario.
The Quebec government is forging ahead with the deployment of sexual and domestic violence court pilot projects in spite of forceful opposition by the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec.
An anti-vaxxer mother lost her bid to prevent her two children from being vaccinated.
Quebec’s proposed youth protection reform will be ineffectual and be unable to deal with systemic-wide issues unless more monies are poured into the system.
A GPS electronic tracking project, the latest initiative the Quebec government has launched to fight domestic violence, raises questions.
A controversial Quebec family law bill has been lauded for creating a legal framework for the use of surrogate mothers but has been slammed for scaling back trans rights and possibly opening the door to a divisive debate over the rights of a foetus.