I was recently reading the Globe & Mail and came across an interesting article (the link can be found here) pertaining to Statistics Canada and the lack of public information regarding divorces in Canada.
Here is a short excerpt from the piece:
In 2011, though, that all changed. Facing budget cuts, Statscan announced it would no longer be publishing annual data on the marriage and divorce rates; the last figures available were for 2008. The information would still exist in raw form – divorce numbers are housed in an unpublished Justice Department registry, while provinces record marriages – but Statscan would no longer be gathering the data, comparing it across jurisdictions and making it public.
I found this information quite surprising, especially because the information is quite readily accessible to the government (specifically marriage rates and divorce rates), as the article indicates. The fact that in a progressive country like Canada we have not annually published the rates of marriage and divorce for in excess of ten years is unhelpful to say the least.
This information is relevant for family law practitioners like us here at Evans Family Law Corporation. Without this information, planning to guide clients in the future becomes less predictable and much more like guesswork (though we try to limit that as best we can).
The data that a law firm can collect on its own has value but without having that information and considering how it projects relative to other firms in the same field, it becomes less valuable to the firm and, as an extension, the consumer/client.
It is also helpful information for a variety of other fields including the exceptionally important fields of child development and mental health care; never mind the financial ramifications respecting housing, investments, retirement, etc.
While cost was the main reason cited for the elimination of this service, maybe an email or call to your Member of Parliament will help change that?
By Richard Pollock
If you have questions about this post or collaborative law in general, contact me today at rpollock@evansfamilylaw.ca