Profile of family law cases in Canada, 2019/2020

This Juristat article examines family law cases active in the Canadian civil courts in 2019/2020 and profiles various case types where spouses or couples have experienced a family breakdown, which require the assistance of a court to resolve. The case types profiled in this report include divorce applications, custody/access cases, support only cases, child protection applications and family cases seeking a civil protection order. Additional analysis is provided on the contentious nature of the case, the sex of the applicant and respondent, whether the parties were represented or self-represented, types of court activity that took place throughout the fiscal year and the average number of days it took to reach a first disposition. Each profile establishes a baseline of family law court data which will enable future analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family law cases in the Canadian civil courts. Further, this report may also support further analysis of the effect of the March 1, 2021 Divorce Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.) amendments.