Family matters in Canada are a complex subject given that family matters involve more than just the members of that family, especially when it comes to children. The struggle for the rights of women and children has led to the fact that Canada has built a system of laws and regulations that have a strong impact on the relationships between family members, including the relationship between parents and children. Let’s consider the main aspects of getting married in Canada in 2024.
Family and children in Canada
The basic approach to family matters in Canada is based on the fact that each family member is first of all an individual whose rights are above the interests of the family, and the protection of the rights of this individual is a priority. A child, just born, is immediately under the protection of the state, and this often creates problems for its parents. The same applies to the relationship between husband and wife – marriage in Canada is a union of two equal partners, the rights of each of whom are protected by law.
It is worth saying that in Canada there are a large number of public and public organizations that monitor the protection of the rights of women and children in the family, and that provide comprehensive assistance to those who are subjected to violence at home or who find themselves in situations where urgent help is needed.
At the same time, it should be taken into account that many issues related to the family are regulated not at the federal level, but at the provincial level. Below will be a conversation about how the matter is put in the province of Ontario.
Getting married in Canada
In order to get married in the province of Ontario, you must be at least 18 years old. You can get married earlier, but in this case you need the written consent of both parents. The minimum age for marriage in the province of Ontario is 16 years. To get married, you first need to get a marriage license – Marriage Licence. To do this, you must fill out the Marriage License Application Form, which can be obtained from the local municipality or downloaded from the Internet.
After that, with a completed form and documents that prove your identity, you and your partner must appear at the municipality, pay the fees and get a marriage license. This document will be valid only for 3 months from the date of its issuance. After this period it expires and you will need to obtain a new permit.
The marriage itself can be of two types – religious marriage (Religious Marriage) or civil marriage (Civil Marriage).
In the first case, the marriage ceremony is performed by representatives of religious organizations that have permission from the Office of the Registrar General to perform these ceremonies in the province of Ontario. In the second case, the marriage ceremony is performed either by a judge or by an employee of the municipality who has the appropriate powers. You can get more precise information about who and when can perform the marriage ceremony from the local municipality.
The marriage ceremony in each of the above cases can be performed only if you have a marriage license. After the authorized person performs the marriage ceremony, he can immediately issue you a marriage certificate – Record of Solemnization of Marriage. He must also fill in all the required fields in the marriage license and send it for registration at the Office of the Registrar General.
After that, the newlyweds can get a marriage certificate. This certificate can be obtained at any time in multiple copies. In addition to the bride and groom, this certificate can be obtained by their parents and children from this marriage.
Divorce in Canada
It is worth saying that family law in Canada and the province of Ontario is quite complex because it regulates many aspects of family life, especially when it comes to divorce. This primarily concerns issues such as the division of property and registration of guardianship of children. Usually, if the mentioned factors are involved in the divorce, the involvement of a lawyer in the divorce process is inevitable.
The first step to divorce is the conclusion of a Separation Agreement. In this contract, you determine the basic principles on which your divorce will be carried out, that is, how the division of property will be carried out, who will have rights to the children and which ones, etc. This is a rather complicated process, because you actually decide what you get after the divorce, and most often the conclusion of the Separation Agreement does not take place without serious negotiations and clarifying the relationship.
However, the conclusion of the Separation Agreement and the complete resolution of all related issues with the mutual consent of the parties to separate is not sufficient for family life to be completed. Divorce is formalized only in court, and you must provide the judge with evidence that you cannot and do not want to continue living together.
Such evidence can be the fact that you have been living separately for more than a year, or your partner has a sexual relationship with another person, or you are subjected to violence from your partner. The case becomes much more complicated if only one party wants a divorce, while the other party is against it. Only after the court decides on your divorce, you become free from the marital relationship and can remarry.
Birth of a child in Canada
After you have a baby in Ontario, you must register it. Each newborn in the territory of the province of Ontario must be registered within 30 days after birth in the state registration body Office of the Registrar General. However, only children older than one year can register directly there. For newborns, there are several other ways to register them, at the parents’ choice.
The registration process begins with filling out the Statement of Live Birth form, which is issued at the birth of the baby either by the staff of the maternity hospital, or by the midwife if she gave birth at your home. Next, you have a choice of three options for registering your child.
The first, and the easiest, is to do it through the Newborn Registration Service online service, where children under the age of 1 are registered. There you can immediately apply for a birth certificate for a newborn and an application for a SIN (Social Insurance Number).
If for some reason you cannot or do not want to register through the Newborn Registration Service, you can send a completed Statement of Live Birth form by post to your municipality. After the child is registered there, you can apply for a Birth Certificate for him. If for some reason you did not receive the Statement of Live Birth form from the maternity hospital or midwife, you can fill it out online and then print it.
Finally, you can personally appear at the municipality and hand them the Statement of Live Birth form, so that they can register the birth of your child at the Office of the Registrar General.
Once your child is registered, you can request a Birth Certificate. In that case, if you register a child through the Newborn Registration Service on the Internet, you immediately make a request to receive a Birth Certificate. After the birth certificate is issued, it will be delivered to you by courier service and issued for signing.
The cost of childbirth in Canada
Payment for medical services related to childbirth is fully covered by the provincial health insurance OHIP. That is, if you have the status of a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, are a resident of the province of Ontario and have OHIP, then you do not need to pay anything for medical services related to childbirth.
However, if you have just arrived and lived in Canada for less than 3 months (that is, you are not yet covered by provincial health insurance OHIP), then you will have to pay for medical services in full, which can amount to several thousand dollars. Most importantly, almost no insurance company issues medical insurance for pregnant women in case of childbirth.
Status of the newborn in Canada
A child born in Canada automatically becomes a Canadian citizen, regardless of the status of its parents. For example, if a woman who was temporarily in Canada gave birth and does not have any permanent status in Canada, her child nevertheless becomes a Canadian citizen.
At the same time, the child’s Canadian citizenship does not give his parents any rights to stay in Canada or to obtain any permanent status here. They will have to live with the child where they have the opportunity. The child will decide whether to leave Canadian citizenship and move to live in Canada only after reaching the age of majority.
If the parents also want to live in Canada and obtain permanent resident status, the child will have to provide them with family sponsorship under current immigration rules.
In the event that a child is born outside of Canada to persons with the status of a permanent resident of Canada, the newborn does not receive any status in Canada. That is, he is a complete stranger to Canada. In order for a child to obtain the status of a permanent resident of Canada, his parents must complete the family sponsorship process for him in accordance with current immigration rules.
If a child is born outside of Canada to parents of whom at least one is a Canadian citizen, the child also immediately becomes a Canadian citizen.
Assistance at the birth and care of a child in Canada
Parents of a newborn can count on several allowances paid from the Employment Insurance fund. At the same time, the amount of each benefit is 55% of the average salary for the last 52 weeks, and it is issued if the recipient has accumulated 600 hours of work during the specified period.
Help can be as follows:
- Maternity benefits: pregnant women are paid for 15 weeks of the postpartum period. At the same time, a woman can start receiving this payment as early as 8 weeks before the expected date of delivery.
- Parental benefits: given to one parent to care for a newborn. Paid up to 35 weeks. At the same time, parental leave can be taken by both parents, the main thing is that their combined leave time does not exceed 35 weeks.
There are also several other types of aid, but they belong to special cases.
Kindergartens and extended day groups in Canada
In Canada, children under the age of 12 must always remain under adult supervision, even at home. Violation of this law can have far-reaching consequences. Therefore, children should either be sent to kindergartens (day care), or invite someone who can take care of them (babysitter).
In the province of Ontario, daycare centers are divided into licensed and unlicensed ones. According to the regulations of the province, a daycare in which the teacher cares for no more than 5 children under the age of 10 years is not subject to licensing.
Relations between educators and children’s parents are regulated only by mutual agreements. Usually, such kindergartens are cheaper, but the teachers in them may not be sufficiently trained and there are no guarantees that they are responsible for their work. Therefore, when choosing an unlicensed kindergarten, an important factor is the recommendations of those who have already visited this kindergarten.
There are three types of licensed kindergartens:
- Home-based child care: a kindergarten that is arranged in the teacher’s home. Usually, companies that provide childcare services and are licensed for this type of activity hire caregivers who set up a daycare center in their homes. These educators undergo the necessary training, their home is inspected for full compliance with all regulations, and classes with children are conducted according to a certain plan. The activities of agencies and individual buildings in which a kindergarten is arranged are regularly inspected by representatives of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
- Center-based child care: these are kindergartens that are not located in residential buildings, but in specially equipped premises (for example, in premises attached to churches and schools).
- School-aged child care: these are extended-day groups that operate in elementary schools and to which children from 6 to 12 years of age are sent.
Child benefit in Canada
Residents of the province of Ontario can count on several types of financial assistance to partially cover the cost of paying for kindergartens and raising children.
Child care subsidy. For families with a low income, the government of the province of Ontario and municipal authorities allocate cash subsidies for partial payment of kindergartens (child care subsidy). In order to receive subsidies, you should contact your local municipality. At the same time, it is worth bearing in mind that there is usually a long queue for receiving subsidies, so it is worth applying for it in advance.
The Ontario Child Care Supplement for Working Families. This assistance is paid to families with low income, where one of the spouses is forced to stay at home with the children or he is studying. At the same time, children must be younger than 7 years old.
Universal Child Care Benefit. This benefit is paid for all children under 6 years of age, through monthly payments of $160 per child, and $60 for children under 17 years of age.
Canada Child Tax Benefit. Under this program, a content guide is paid monthly for each child under the age of 18. The size of the payments depends on the number of children in the family, the province in which you live, and the size of your family’s income. A family can receive up to $6,500 per year for each child under the age of 6, and up to $5,500 per child between the ages of 6 and 17. The maximum amount of assistance is given to families whose annual income per family does not exceed $30,000.