Government
      seeks
      to
      make
      divorce
      act
      fair.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Proposed
      act
      would
     
     
      make
      financial
      obliga-
     
     
      tions
      equal
      for
      all
     
    
   
   
    
     
      parents
     
     
      by
      Chris
      Bodnar
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OTTAWA
      (CUP)
      -A
     
     
      proposed
      amendment
      to
      the
     
     
      Divorce
      Act
      may
      affect
     
     
      students
      whose
      parents
      have
     
     
      divorced.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cally
      different
      than
      they
      do
     
     
      those
      whose
      marriages
      are
     
     
      intact.”
     
    

    
     
      Although
      he
      doesn’t
     
     
      know
      how
      many
      students
     
     
      could
      be
      affected
      by
      the
     
     
      proposed
      changes,
      Gallaway
     
     
      says
      the
      bill
      only
      serves
      to
     
     
      point
      out
      one
      of
      the
      prob-
     
     
      lems
      with
      the
      current
      law
     
     
      governing
      divorce
      procedure.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      year,
      Gallaway
     
     
      co-chaired
      a
      joint
      House
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fathers’
      Resources
      Interna-
     
     
      tional,
      is
      one
      of
      those
      sup-
     
     
      porters.
     
    

    
     
      Guspie
      says
      any
     
     
      attempt
      to
      make
      the
      Divorce
     
     
      Act
      easier
      to
      understand
      and
     
     
      to
      use
      is
      welcomed
      by
      his
     
     
      group.
     
    

    
     
      In
      addition,
      he
      says
     
     
      all
      parents,
      married
      or
     
     
      divorced,
      should
      have
      equal
     
     
      and
      fair
      financial
      obligations
     
     
      towards
      their
      children.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “This
      can
      be
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      next
      few
     
     
      weeks,
      Liberal
      MP
     
     
      Roger
      Gallaway
      plans
     
     
      to
      table
      a
      private
      mem-
     
     
      bers
      bill
      in
      the
      House
      of
     
     
      Commons
      that
      will
     
     
      stop
      the
      power
      of
      courts
     
     
      to
      increase
      support
     
     
      payments
      when
      a
      child
     
     
      begins
      their
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      education.
     
    

    
     
      Currently,
     
     
      married
      parents
      have
      no
     
     
      obligation
      to
      pay
      for
     
     
      their
      children’s
      univer-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “To
      me
      this
      is
      nota
     
     
      difficult
      issue.
      It's
     
     
      just
      an
      issue
      where
     
    
   
   
    
     
      some
      fairness
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enters
      into
      the
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      equation.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Roger
      Gallawa
      y
     
     
      Liberal
      MP
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      huge
      issue,”
      said
     
     
      Guspie.
      “Picture
     
     
      that
      you're
      a
     
     
      father
      and
      you
      get
     
     
      this
      order
      and
      you
     
     
      even
      agree
      with
      it
     
     
      initially
      but
      then
     
     
      all
      of
      a
      sudden
      you
     
     
      find
      yourself
      in
      a
     
     
      position
      where-
     
     
      you
      re
      unem-
     
     
      ployed.”
     
     
      Although
     
     
      there
      are
      opportu-
     
     
      nities
      for
      parents
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sity
      or
      college
      educa-
     
     
      tion,
      although
      student
     
     
      loan
      eligibility
      is
      based
      on
     
     
      parents’
      incomes.
     
    

    
     
      Parents
      who
      are
     
     
      divorced,
      however,
      can
      have
     
     
      their
      child
      support
      payments
     
     
      increased
      by
      a
      court
      order
     
     
      when
      their
      child
      turns
      18,
      in
     
     
      order
      to
      cover
      the
      costs
      of
     
     
      post-secondary
      education.
     
    

    
     
      “To
      me
      this
      is
      not
      a
     
     
      difficult
      issue.
      It’s
      just
      an
     
     
      issue
      where
      some
      fairness
     
     
      enters
      into
      the
      equation,”
     
     
      said
      Gallaway.
      “The
      courts
     
     
      treat
      divorced
      people
      radi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Senate
      committee
      that
     
     
      recommended
      numerous
     
     
      changes
      to
      the
      Divorce
      Act
     
     
      that
      would
      ensure
      divorced
     
     
      parents
      weren’t
      burdened
     
     
      with
      obligations
      from
      which
     
     
      married
      couples
      are
      exempt.
     
    

    
     
      While
      Gallaway
      says
     
     
      he
      believes
      the
      Liberal
      caucus
     
     
      will
      support
      his
      bill,
      he
      says
     
     
      there
      are
      many
      other
      groups
     
     
      across
      Canada
      who
      support
     
     
      this
      change.
     
    

    
     
      Danny
      Guspie,
     
     
      executive
      director
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      paying
      child
     
     
      support
      to
      have
     
     
      legal
      adjustments
      to
      their
     
     
      obligations
      when
      they
      can
     
     
      no
      longer
      afford
      it,
      or
      if
      their
     
     
      children
      are
      not
      using
      the
     
     
      finances
      properly
      at
      school,
     
     
      parents
      often
      cannot
      afford
     
     
      legal
      representation
      to
      have
     
     
      the
      changes
      made.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      bureaucracy
      is
     
     
      set
      up
      for
      the
      convenience
      of
     
     
      everyone
      except
      the
      jurisdic-
     
     
      tion
      of
      the
      parent,”
      said
     
     
      Guspie.
      “The
      only
      winners
     
     
      are
      those
      in
      the
      legal
      profes-
     
     
      sion.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Ainslie
      Schroeder
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WINNIPEG
      (CUP)
      -
     
    

    
     
      This
      month,
      the
     
     
      world’s
      population
     
     
      reached,
      and
      then
      ex-
     
     
      ceeded,
      six
      billion
      people.
     
    

    
     
      Zero
      Population
     
     
      Growth,
      a
      United
      States-
     
     
      based
      population
      issues
     
     
      group,
      dubbed
      October
      12
     
     
      “Y6B”
      (Year
      six
      Billion)
     
     
      to
      commemorate
      the
     
     
      estimated
      birth
      of
      the
     
     
      world’s
      six
      billionth
     
     
      citizen.
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      a
      reason
      for
     
     
      both
      celebration
      and
     
    

    
     
      |
      alarm.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      a
      victory
      of
     
     
      growing
      life
      expectancy,
     
     
      along
      with
      the
      natural
     
     
      momentum
      of
      population
     
     
      growth,
      which
      has
      culmi-
     
     
      nated
      in
      this
      milestone
      of
     
     
      human
      existence.
     
    

    
     
      But
      with
      patterns
      of
     
     
      ever-growing
      human
     
     
      consumption
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Six
      billion:
      a
      wake
      up
     
     
      call
      for
      the
      world
     
    
   
   
    
     
      technology
      will
      create
      an
     
     
      answer
      to
      the
      plague
      of
     
     
      resource
      depletion,
      the
     
     
      rate
      of
      innovation
      is
     
     
      losing
      the
      race
      to
      destruc-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      The
      marking
      of
      each
     
     
      additional
      billionth
     
     
      member
      of
      the
      human
     
     
      race
      will
      increasingly
     
     
      become
      a
      more
      common
     
     
      event.
     
    

    
     
      It
      took
      from
      the
     
     
      beginning
      of
      our
      species
      —
     
     
      until
      1804
      to
      reach
      one
     
     
      billion,
      but
      it
      only
      took
     
     
      12
      years
      for
      the
      world’s
     
     
      population
      to
      rise
      from
     
     
      five
      to
      six
      billion.
     
    

    
     
      The
      global
      death
      rate
     
     
      has
      been
      cut
      in
      half
      since
     
     
      1950,
      while
      life
      expect-
     
     
      ancy
      has
      risen
      from
      46
      to
     
     
      66
      years.
     
    

    
     
      The
      United
      Nations,
     
     
      non-governmental
      organi-
     
     
      zations
      (NGOs)
      and
     
     
      indiviual
      countries
      have
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      continuous
     
     
      environmental
     
     
      degradation,
      our
     
     
      ability
      to
      ensure
     
     
      quality
      of
      life
      for
     
     
      all
      six
      billion
     
     
      people
      on
      earth
     
     
      can
      only
      be
      met
     
     
      if
      substantial
     
     
      changes
      are
     
     
      made
      in
      the
      way
     
     
      we
      live.
     
     
      Although
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      some
      continue
      to
      believe
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      on
      page
      5