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| Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family | |
|---|---|
| Name | Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family |
| Formation | 1976 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Headquarters | Calgary, Alberta |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family is an independent Canadian research institute focusing on family law, social policy, and family-related litigation. Founded in 1976 in Calgary, Alberta, the institute engaged with legal practitioners, policymakers, and scholars across Canada to influence debates connected to the Supreme Court of Canada, Parliament of Canada, and provincial legislatures. Its work intersected with institutions such as the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, and think tanks including the Fraser Institute and the C.D. Howe Institute.
The institute was established amid debates involving the Supreme Court of Canada, the Parliament of Canada, and provincial legislatures over family law reform, child custody, and parenting rights. Early collaborators included faculty from the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, and McGill University, as well as advocates linked to the Ontario Court of Justice and the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench. During the 1980s and 1990s its publications responded to landmark decisions from the Supreme Court, commentary by the Canadian Bar Association, and policy proposals advanced by the Law Reform Commission of Canada. Connections were forged with international bodies such as the Family Law Section of the International Bar Association, the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The institute articulated objectives that aligned with statutory interpretation and comparative analysis involving the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Divorce Act, and provincial family statutes such as Ontario’s Children’s Law Reform Act. It sought to provide empirical studies for legislators in the Parliament of Canada, submissions to the Supreme Court of Canada in appellate proceedings, and briefing papers for provincial ministries such as Alberta Justice and Manitoba Family Services. The mandate emphasized multidisciplinary collaboration with scholars from the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and York University, and engagement with advocacy groups including the Canadian Bar Association Family Law Section, the Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Research themes included child custody and access, spousal support under the Divorce Act, adoption law in connection with provincial adoption statutes, and indigenous family matters referencing the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. The institute produced monographs, policy briefs, and working papers cited in filings before the Supreme Court of Canada, federal committees such as the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, and provincial law reform commissions. Contributors often hailed from law schools at the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, and the University of Windsor, and publications engaged with comparative material from the United Kingdom’s Family Division, the United States Supreme Court, and Australian Family Court decisions.
The institute organized conferences, symposia, and continuing legal education events in partnership with the Canadian Bar Association, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, and provincial law societies such as the Law Society of Alberta and the Law Society of Ontario. It hosted panels featuring judges from the Federal Court, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and the Provincial Court of British Columbia, alongside academics from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the London School of Economics. Outreach extended to the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Association of Social Workers, and community organizations in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal.
Governance typically comprised a board with members drawn from university faculties including the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, the University of British Columbia, and McMaster University, and from legal practitioners affiliated with the Canadian Bar Association and provincial bar associations. Funding sources included private foundations such as the Donner Canadian Foundation, grants from federal bodies like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and partnerships with provincial ministries, municipal governments in Alberta and Ontario, and charitable organizations such as the Muttart Foundation and the Calgary Foundation.
Notable projects addressed reform of the Divorce Act, analysis of parental rights in cases influenced by decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada, and comparative studies referencing the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The institute’s reports informed submissions to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, and were cited by policy units within provincial ministries and by NGOs such as UNICEF Canada. Engagements with the Canadian Judicial Council, the Canadian Family Law Association, and international forums like the Hague Conference contributed to legislative amendments and judicial dialogue on family law issues across Canada and in comparative jurisdictions including England and Wales, the United States, and Australia.
Category:Legal research institutes in Canada Category:Family law in Canada