Mahsi, Mr.
Speaker. I
appreciate the Assembly has expressed interest in protecting the rights of children whose parents are separating or divorcing. However, the Cabinet will be abstaining from the motion that has been brought forward, and I would like to explain why. I will also provide concepts for Members who are not certain whether they should support this or not.
As you know, we do have acts and laws in place within our jurisdiction of the Northwest Territories. First of all, the NWT Family Law supports the principle that decisions should be made in the best
interests of the children. The NWT Children’s Law Act already states that unless otherwise provided, the father and mother of the child are equally entitled to custody. In the vast majority of cases, having the most contact possible with both parents is in the best interests of the children. This is consistent with the federal Divorce Act, which expressly supports the principle of maximum contact.
Fundamentally, we are talking about children’s rights. Changes to the law that protects those rights can only be supported after careful assessment of what those impacts will be. We have not had the opportunity to make an in-depth assessment of this motion, so as a government we cannot make an informed decision on this particular issue. With that, again, the Cabinet will be abstaining from this motion. Mahsi cho.