Liberal MP proposes sweeping changes to Divorce Act

By Canadian Press on January 28, 2026.

OTTAWA — A Liberal MP is pushing for changes to the Divorce Act to give children a say in divorce proceedings and limit the effects of coercive control and domestic violence.

Lisa Hepfner, the MP for Hamilton Mountain, said she proposed the legislation after hearing horrifying stories from Suzanne Zaccour, director of legal affairs at the National Association of Women and the Law.

“(She) approached me with all these victims. I used to be a journalist … So when I hear those stories (now), I don’t have to just share them. I can actually do something about it,” Hepfner said Wednesday in front of the House of Commons.

The legislation is up for its first debate Wednesday and is expected to face a vote in the House of Commons next week.

It would impose new requirements on lawyers to screen for signs of family violence during divorce cases, give judges new tools to identify the existence and impact of coercive control on children and ensure, that in some circumstances, children can express their preferences to a judge, in a custody dispute.

Coercive control is a pattern of abusive behaviour in which one individual attempts to control another through avenues such as limiting their interactions with friends and family, spying on their communications, depriving them of basic needs, and humiliating, degrading or dehumanizing them.

Zaccour, speaking alongside Hepfner on Wednesday, recounted stories she heard from women who told the courts their partner was abusing them or their children during divorce proceedings.

“They left the abuser, they disclosed his violence, and then they got punished for being labelled ‘difficult,’ ‘vindictive’ and ‘alienator,'” she said.

“And years later, tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees later, they hear the message loud and clear — there is nothing you can do to keep your child safe.

“For survivors, the violence does not end with separation. It follows them into the courtroom.”

The National Association of Women and the Law, which supports Hepfner’s bill, said it has been joined by nearly 300 organizations across the country calling for changes to the Divorce Act to ensure the best interests of children are respected.

Hepfner said she has received support for the legislation from Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and NDP MP Leah Gazan, along with members of her own caucus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press