In the News

February 2012

Quebec Family Mediation Day

Last year, the Quebec government introduced Quebec Family Mediation Day. It falls on the first Wednesday in February. This special day helps raise awareness about family mediation. Mediation lets couples negotiate an agreement about the fallout from a breakup with the help of a neutral third person. The government is planning to beef up its mediation programs. Read on to find out more.

Improving Access to Justice through Family Mediation

In Quebec, more than 42% of marriages finish in divorce. Of these, only 15% end up before a judge to settle disagreements. This means that a lot of couples deal with the fallout of a divorce without involving the courts.

Mediation has several advantages:

avoiding the ordeal of a court trial
saving a lot of money
settling differences more quickly
maintaining a relationship with the ex-spouse

The Minister of Justice, Jean-Marc Fournier, wants to add to the current family mediation programs through the Justice Access Plan. The Plan aims to make mediation accessible to more people, in particular by adding to the free services for parents, and increasing the budget for these programs.

Here is an example: right now, couples who are separating and have children are obliged to attend an information meeting about mediation. This meeting is free and lasts one and a half hours. The changes proposed would extend the meeting to two and a half hours. This change would give time to discuss, among other things, the impact of a separation on children.

Éducaloi is following the proposed changes and will keep you posted!

Key Features of Family Mediation

Family mediation is voluntary. Each person is free to leave the negotiating table at any time.

The process is confidential. So if the mediation does not work, nothing said during the mediation can be used in an eventual trial. Even the mediator must respect this rule of confidentiality.

For couples with dependent children, not only is the first meeting free, so are some free mediation sessions with a certified mediator paid by the government.

All the rules and exceptions are explained in the article Free Family Mediation.