For No Improper Purpose

Recently, a new family law reform group has been making it's presence known in Sarnia, Ontario. It is yet, one more group in a long list of groups to spring forth over the last twenty years advocating for sweeping family law reforms that benefit families instead of the legal community. After their second public rally in a month, this group known as CFFLR have begun to spark much interest in exposing the corruption of family courts in Ontario and more specifically, in Sarnia/Lambton.

At issue seems to be the manner in which lawyers intentionally drag out family court proceedings to increase their fees. With allegations of collusive conduct, conflicts of interest and a general lack for the integrity for the process among lawyers and judges, CFFLR aims to avail these acts of misconduct and seeks to hold accountable those who make the art of misconduct a daily practise. By sharing stories, sharing resources, and with a goal to educate all as to their inherent rights, this group holds up as it's main priority that the legal community is intended to serve the agenda of the law and not the other way around. It is not a group of MRA's (Mens' Rights Advocates), nor is it about furthering feminist agendas. It is a collective of men and women/mothers and fathers who want equality, fairness and an opportunity to share in the privileges as well as the responsibilities of being a parent. And they want it all at a reasonable price. Such is a tall order and thus far, only wishful thinking when dealing with the enlightened, intellectually elite, self-proclaimed saving graces of our society.

Whenever those abused, mistreated, tormented, harassed, coerced and intimidated find the courage to rise up and face down the perpetrators, it automatically must invoke respect and admiration from us all. And I suspect this group will play a pivotal role in in the coming years in changing the status quo and daily processes of the family courts in Sarnia/Lambton. I believe they will be instrumental along with others in forcing the legal community to change the way they do business. In the face of what seems only to be reprisal tactics by those having a stake in keeping the status quo, the resolve of the members of CFFLR appears to gaining as well as their numbers. They are not above embarrassing lawyers, judges and local politicians in their mission to bring the law back to its rightful owners...The People.

But asking any institution of government to change is a daunting task. Our world history tells us that it has never happened without civil disobedience and violence. And I am left wondering how far this group will go to force that change that is wanted and needed. In this Internet age, protest is a easy as pushing the "Like" button on facebook or other sites. But this alone will not be enough to even tremble the building blocks of an old, archaic, and wealthy institution of our society. And through one rally after another, through a massive and endless letter writing campaign, through growing numbers and a growing disdain and loathing of the institution, the institution will survive. It will survive and those who facilitate it will continue to prosper. There will come that day when family law reform activists will have to decide how much they want that change and what they are willing to do to get it. The first act of trickery from the institution will be to simply deny that there is even a problem. This has already been going on for decades. And those who try to avail the truth will endure the endless consequences from those who have given themselves absolute power and credibility deemed above reproach. The second act of deception will be a minor tweaking of the philosophy and in process in hopes to appease the masses while allowing the legal community to continue prospering. For those that still demand more, the consequences for their lack of appreciation will be intensified. That too has already been going on for years. As long as the legal community can continue to gain financially, they will always be open to reforms. And their version of meaningful reforms often leads to a more complex set of laws and usually involves the creation and legitimacy of a new field of careers which only broadens the manner in which this financial industry continues to grow.

And although all family law reform activists share a common thread in their desires for reform, each faction has it's own methods and their own ideas as to what meaningful reform is. In Canada these groups now number in the hundreds and perhaps even in the thousands from coast to coast. But their is no coherent, unified plan or voice to bring forth change to the government. And that does not even include the radical feminist factions who's power base is dwindling but are still capable of influencing national policy. There are tens of thousands of voices screaming to our policy makers for change. And each voice screams a different version. And that is not an environment which will foster change. There have been opportunities in the past for groups to unify themselves under one national voice but these opportunities and for some reason, seem to keep slipping away. At a time when momentum forward is required, family law activists avail at times, stagnate. After that, it has to start all over again from scratch.

The reasons why a national and unified family law reform voice has not yet been heard is complex and yet easily understood. In order to facilitate change, one has to learn the processes of the system and begin to work within. It does not take long for the revolutionaries to avail conduct that is no different than those they wish to unseat from power. It is human nature when dealing with the issues of power and control. It is easy to support one another when are goals are similar but a much more difficult task to give up a role as leader of a lesser group to be a foot soldier for the greater good. Attention, praise, admiration are human needs and thus can become quite addicting. We see this in every aspect of our society. Family law reform activists engage in lobbying the government for change. So do corporations and other groups. The results are not always positive for society as a whole. A perfect example of how such corruption can quickly take hold is in the feminist movement started in the 1960's. Equality was the one word and philosophy that defined feminism. Several decades later, the notion of special interests now define feminist agendas. There will always be those in our world who will take advantage of positive and negative circumstance to feed their personal and financial wanting. It is one trait of being human. And those who follow usually do so without question. There are times when people are so desperate they will drink the sand because those who lead convince them it is water. Family law reform groups will have to learn the art of lobbying the government. And while doing so, they will also have to keep in sight what and who they are lobbying for in the face of many prizes and temptations the government hands out to those presenting as amicable.

Another obstacle to family law reform groups is one that avails when the group is comprised of both men and women. It is a noble concept but often fails due to the polar opposites of opinions between the genders. Imagine buying a 15% share in a fortune 500 company and then expecting that you will have a say in the management of that company. It is much the same with family law. Where as women are given sole custody of children over 80% of the time, it can be said they hold the balance of power. Their voices are louder, more powerful and thus will have more ears listening to them. I often wonder how effective men can be and will be when marching side by side with women to reform the law when they cannot yet march as equals. Much to the delight of the legal community, there is still much division between the genders when dealing with family law issues. And we are years away from a combining force of men and women forcing change that benefits all equally. But the mere fact that men and women are trying to find this common ground is in itself, a source for inspiration and cause for hope.

There are many who believe that family law is the problem. I disagree. It is my assertion that family law is nothing more than a symptom of a much broader problem that plagues and will continue to plague our society for many years to come. We live in a politically correct world. And no government, no corporation, no group, no charity is immune from its effects. We see it everyday in the media, in advertisement, in our schools, in corporate policies and in government policies that favour one gender over another. In its inception, it was deemed a temporary good by those who seemed blinded to its inevitable devastating and permanent consequences. And those consequences perhaps now shown most visible in the arena of family courts.

I submit that family law activists are not just taking to task corrupt lawyers and judges. They are not just fighting a exclusive, protected faction of society. Family law activists are in fact, taking on the very philosophies that have been guiding, or more so, misguiding every aspect of our society for several decades. The battleground chosen for fighting these politically correct notions will be the institution of family law. And the winning of that war will have implications that will ripple far beyond family law issues and will take root and begin to change the very fabric of our society that has endured the status quo for several decades. It will happen eventually. The only question that remains is which generation will see it done? Which future generation will come to the conclusion that Nobody Wins Unless Everybody Wins?

And I hope I live long enough to see that day!