The short answer is no. However, the wishes of children can be considered in determining parenting arrangements. As the Court does not want children to participate in family law disputes, this article briefly touches on how to put the wishes of a child before the Court for consideration. 

To begin, regardless of the age of the child, there is no law or legislative principle that the wishes of a child dictate the parenting arrangement.  (See M.L.S. v N.E.D., 2017 SKQB 183; Redstar v Akachuk, 2013 SKQB 223; and Kittelson-Schurr v Schurr, 2005 SKQB 90.)

However, a child’s wishes can be an important consideration in determining a parenting arrangement that serves their best interests.  The wishes of young children aged 11 and younger, are typically not taken into consideration by the Court. The Court is of the view that young children are not sufficiently emotionally or intellectually developed to articulate their true feelings.

Children are capable of forming their own views at 12 years of age, which Family Justice Services recognizes for the purposes of conducting a “Voices of the Child” report.

If a matter is proceeding to Court, either by a trial or an interim Chamber’s application, a “Voices of the Child” report can be of assistance in putting the wishes or desires before a judge for consideration.

A Voices of the Child report may be ordered by a judge at any stage of a family law proceeding and the reasons the Court orders Voices reports vary widely. For example, a Chamber Judge, may order a “Voices of the Child” report when conflicting affidavits about the “wishes” of teenage children have been presented. Voices of the Child reports are also ordered at Pre-trial Conference solely for the assistance of the trial judge, who is tasked with determining the parenting arrangement.

However, there is no automatic right to having a Voices of the Child report prepared.

In addition to the age requirement (child must be 12 years old or older), a party seeking to put forward their children’s wishes with respect to the parenting arrangement, must present evidence that leads the Court to conclude that a Voices report would be of assistance in determining the parenting arrangement in the child’s best interests.

If your child is above the age of 12 and has expressed views with respect to the parenting arrangement, a Voices of the Child report can be of assistance to the Court in determining a parenting arrangement.

In the right circumstances, your child’s wishes as expressed through a Voices Report can be the determining factor. In a recent Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench decision, the Court found that irrespective of both parents’ capabilities of caring for the children equally, that a child’s wish was the “most dominant factor” in considering whether the relocation was appropriate. In that case, the child expressed a wish to relocate with the mother. Given the assistance of the Voices of the Child report, the Court granted the mother’s request to relocate with the children (A.R. v R.R., 2016 SKQB 206).

The family law lawyers at Robertson Stromberg LLP can assist in obtaining a Voices of the Child report and your parenting needs more generally.