Statistics Canada - Statistique Canada

Maintenance Enforcement Survey: Child and spousal support

Jan. 25, 2006 link

2004/05 Previous release

The report Child Spousal Support: Maintenance Enforcement Survey Statistics, which is available today, provides data on the collection and enforcement of child and spousal support payments for cases registered with maintenance enforcement programs.

These programs were created in each province and territory during the 1980s and 1990s to help recipients obtain their support payments without having to go before the courts. They handle an estimated 50% of all support orders and agreements in Canada.

Programs vary in a number of important aspects, such as client profile and enforcement powers and practices. In some provinces and territories, all support orders and agreements are automatically registered with the maintenance enforcement program at the time of the order.

In others enrolment is voluntary. In this situation, it is the more difficult cases (those in arrears or default) that tend to be registered. These differences between programs have important implications for interpreting the survey data, and the results should not be generalized to all support orders in Canada.

The report includes data for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, which have mandatory registration, and Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, which have voluntary registration. Combined, they represent about 84% of Canada's population.

As of March 31, 2005, there were nearly 364,000 cases enrolled in a maintenance enforcement program in these eight reporting jurisdictions. There were 2,500 cases in Prince Edward Island, 18,200 in Nova Scotia, 13,000 in New Brunswick, 104,400 in Quebec, 178,300 in Ontario, 7,800 in Saskatchewan, 38,800 in British Columbia and 700 in the Northwest Territories.

Average monthly caseloads increased for most provinces from 2003/04 to 2004/05. The exceptions were New Brunswick and British Columbia, which experienced small declines.

The vast majority of cases involved a support amount for children. On March 31, 2005, 98% of cases registered with the maintenance enforcement program in British Columbia included a support amount for children. The proportion was 97% of cases in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, and 95% in Nova Scotia.

In 2004/05, a large proportion of registered cases in all reporting provinces and territories had a regular monthly payment of $400 or less. On March 31, 2005, this applied to 46% of cases in the Northwest Territories, 48% in Ontario, 58% in Quebec, 62% in British Columbia, 63% in Saskatchewan, 68% in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, and 70% in Nova Scotia.

In the majority of cases registered with a maintenance enforcement program, the payers make their regular monthly payment in full. In March 2005, the proportion that made the payment in full ranged from 55% of the cases in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to 78% in Quebec.<

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3324 English.

The report Child and Spousal Support: Maintenance Enforcement Survey Statistics, 2004/05 (85-228-XIE, $29) is now available.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Information and Client Services (1-800-387-2231; 613-951-9023), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.