Family law reforms introduced this week by Attorney General Shirley Bond have won an endorsement from Northern Women's Centre coordinator Sarah Boyd-Noel.
Of particular note for Boyd-Noel is making cases where violence is, or could be, an issue in families a Criminal Code matter.
"Also, that violence includes emotional and psychological violence," Boyd-Noel said. "That's really important in terms of getting legal aid."
The Family Law Act, if passed, includes a new protection order meant to give the police and courts more clarity when dealing with family violence situations. Breaching a protection order will be a criminal offence.
Generally making the system less adversarial is also an improvement in Boyd-Noel's opinion.
The proposed legislation supports ways for parents to resolve family matters outside of the courtroom, where appropriate, through agreements, mediation, parenting co-ordination and arbitration.
However, Boyd-Noel said funding for legal aid needs to be increased and is maintaining a wait-and-see attitude towards how the legislation progresses.
"It holds a lot of promise," Boyd-Noel said. "We want to see what happens on the ground but just from what I'm reading it's very satisfying for me."
According to the provincial government the legislation also expressly states that the best interests
of the child must be the only consideration in making decisions involving the child; creates a "range of remedies and tools" to ensure parents receive - and follow through on - parenting time they are given; and clarifies how property is divided when couples breakup after being in a marriage-like relationship for more than two years.
Boyd-Noel said she and a group of women who have been having trouble with the legal system met with Bond a few years ago and were met with plenty of support.
"One thing I know about Shirley is, if you take an issued to her and she believes in it, she really works hard," Boyd Noel said.
Pending passage, implementation of the Family Law Act is expected to take at least
12 to 18 months to give sufficient time "to inform the legal profession and family service providers about the broad scope of the changes and to allow for rules changes that will be required," the provincial government said.
The Northern Women's Centre is located at the University of Northern British Columbia.
