Child Support Enforcement Reform Petition

This petition is designed to overhaul and reform the current penalties for non-payment of child support for not just Alberta, but Canada. Garnishee of wages, drivers licence suspensions, land and title searches and income tax garnishments seem to be not enough. Do you know they can reinstate a driver’s license to a non-paying parent over the phone? They only have to make an agreement with your provincial “Enforcement Program” and maybe not live up to it. These pretend parents can be up to thousands of dollars in arrears and even without payment they can still negotiate with these programs. This is not just an injustice on our society; this is an injustice to our children’s futures. Child support is not just for the parents to who care for these children but for the children themselves. -That there is a no cost database for employers to cross reference new hires to see if there are monies owed and contact information about the individuals. It should be a mandatory question on applications for hiring. (etc. criminal record question) -If a parent is over twelve months in arrears in child support and has made no attempt to pay in a consistent manner with his or her provincial/federal enforcement program, they would be eligible for a 6 month prison sentence. Upon release they would be subject to a parole of six months were their financial statements would be required to be supplied to the court and their officer that their support is being paid. -After three months in arrears immediate garnishment of wages and their drivers licence should be revoked. -The provincial lines within the provincial enforcement programs should be come federal. This would cut down red tape and improve results. -The parents who have full time care and the parent who is ordered to pay must provide yearly financials that would be mandatory to the courts for review. -If the parent is with a new spouse or partner that is deemed either a marriage or a common law partnership, the couple will now be responsible as a unit when determining assets and sheltering of monies. -There should also be a “three strike rule” for making payment arrangements that are not kept. If the provincial/federal enforcement program has failed three times to make a consistent payment arrangement with the parent, then the parent should be disallowed from making a fourth. This petition is not about denying access to children because of non-payment. It’s about a system that for enforcing these orders is severely broken. Parents that owe child support need to be held accountable for their actions. These are legal court orders that are not being enforced. These parents in some understandings are breaking the law. We need immediate change not just for parents but for children that become affected by non-payment.