One thing the Canadian Divorce Act encouraged was reconciliation. In this respect, divorce Canada has a lot in common with other countries, most notably Italy, which recognizes divorce but wishes it would go away. Laws regarding divorce Canada underwent a revision in 1986 that required Canadian divorce lawyers to discuss the possibility of reconciliation, in addition to informing clients of available counseling. The 1986 Act also requires divorce canada lawyers to encourage negotiated settlements, to include mediation of support and custody disputes.
The current divorce canada should be considered an extension of the Divorce Act of 1968. The new law of 1986 established the grounds for divorce and the guidelines for spousal and child support and custody of and access to children. These divorce Canada laws are federal laws that apply throughout Canada.
Under the current law, the only ground for divorce Canada is "breakdown of marriage" and no longer "adultery" as it was for so many years before. Obviously, adultery and just about any other criteria can qualify as a "breakdown of marriage". Breakdown of marriage is recognized if (A) the spouses have been separated at least one year, (B) if the accused spouse has engaged in adultery, or (C) the accused spouse has treated the plaintiff spouse with physical or mental abuse that makes the continuation of the marriage impossible. The first criteria (A) allows for divorce Canada after one year. The other two criteria (B) & (C) allow for quick divorces that can wrap up in days.
The 1986 revision also mandates divorce in canada can only occur if the court recognized that there was no possibility of reconciliation between the spouses. The court also has the right to cancel court proceedings and deem the divorce in Canada null and void, if it deems that a possibility of reconciliation is present. So presumably, if the spouses display even the slightest common courtesy to one another this may be misconstrued as a possibility of reconciliation.
Having established that, Canadian divorce laws also stipulate that after 14 days have passed since the request for divorce, the court can resume its proceedings on the divorce application for either or both spouses. The 1986 Act and the one from 1968 make Canadian divorce laws clear with regards to any person recommended to help the parties in an attempted reconciliation - such a person cannot testify in any subsequent divorce proceeding.
One thing seems to be clear regarding Canadian divorce laws: the right to a divorce is available to Canadian citizens, but the process to getting that divorce is far from easy. As was stated before, it's almost as if the courts would rather the couples just go away and not deal with the problem. It harks back to generations earlier when the man ran the household and the wife abided - for better or worse - to what the man had to say.
Fortunately, even with its Catch 22 politics, a Canadian divorce is possible. In fact a smooth divorce in Canada depends on agreement and communication between the couple. Something that probably was lacking during the actual marriage.