- Target:
- The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson
- Region:
- Canada
A petition's goal is to attain momentum, synergies of like minded individuals and to attract attention to an issue that is worthy of our concern. I began this petition due to circumstances that I never thought I would face - a marital breakdown and the ensuing child custody concerns that we have all heard of.
I appeal to you as a dedicated and all-in father who unfortunately has had his children relocated by their mom 500 km's from my location. I have gone from coaching them in sports and assisting in music lessons to every second weekend with 10 hrs of travel to spend 36 hours with my greatest joy. I have limited legal footing - only option appears to be relocating to their town, leaving a successful career in my hometown and attempting to regain a position I previously had as their committed and ever present father.
Unfortunately, I will need to be fighting an uphill battle in the legal system to do so. Their mom will not agree to equal shared parenting, and in fact coordinated all of this to diminish my ability to gain it. Trust me, the system is broken and we need to advise our representatives of this.
Many states in the U.S. and recently England have enacted legislation which ensures that both parents have an equal footing in parenting their children after a seperation or divorce. We need this legislation here in Canada. The experts support this approach and so do Canadians. In fact over 75% of Canadians do. We need to remind our politicians of this and keep reminding them until parents in situations like mine can be treated fairly and that no one parent can control the legal system to their advantage.
I ask you to help me by signing this petition and ensuring that The Honourable Mr. Nicholson and the Department of Justice enact legislation to ensure fairness for all parents and help our children to come through divorce in a positive environment.
Whereas we, as Canadians, believe in fairness and equity for all human beings we ask that the Department of Justice and the Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson adopt a strategy and incorporate concrete plans to amend the Divorce Act to ensure a presumption of equal shared parenting in marital separation and/or divorce.
A very high majority of Canadians, from coast to coast, support the principle of equal shared parenting; experts in child welfare support the principle; and many other countries (including Great Britain and the United States of America) are well ahead of Canada in adopting legislation that creates a presumption of equal shared parenting.
Please do not hesitate in putting forward this simple change which will benefit all parents and children whom unfortunately find themselves in difficult circumstances associated with a marital breakdown. Fairness for all involved is necessary.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it