Checklist
One row per catalogued topic, for both instruments. An empty row is a package gap, not a claim that no law exists.
formalities
Domestic contracts under the Family Law Act are to be in writing, signed, and witnessed in the manner the Act requires.
acknowledgment
Domestic contracts under the Family Law Act are to be in writing, signed, and witnessed in the manner the Act requires.
property
Matrimonial assets are divided under Part IV for qualifying spouses, with the Act’s own exemptions and home rules.
permitted_subjects
A marriage contract typically addresses property, debts, and sometimes support between spouses. Public-order limits (Québec family patrimony; child support everywhere) still apply.
spousal_support
Support can be contracted about, subject to later judicial override questions.
child_support
Child support and parenting are not ordinary contractual waivers.
voluntariness
The Act includes setting-aside language for domestic contracts, including disclosure and understanding. Independent legal advice is evidence, not a U.S. certificate form.
financial_disclosure
Canadian family agreements are often judged partly on whether each party knew the assets and debts. This pack does not invent a U.S. statutory disclosure exhibit list.
independent_counsel
Canadian family agreements often stand or fall partly on whether each party could get advice. That is not a uniform statutory certificate across provinces, and Québec notarial counseling is a different professional model from common-law ILA letters.
timing
A first draft delivered immediately before a wedding is a voluntariness and understanding fact. Canada does not use a single U.S.-style statutory waiting period in these packs.
limitations
Do not fold Newfoundland and Labrador into the Ontario FLA numbering even when the domestic-contract vocabulary looks similar.
formalities
The Act recognizes cohabitation agreements as a species of domestic contract. Formality still follows the Act, not U.S. acknowledgment statutes.
acknowledgment
The Act recognizes cohabitation agreements as a species of domestic contract. Formality still follows the Act, not U.S. acknowledgment statutes.
property
Matrimonial-property Part IV is built around spouses in the married sense used by the Act. Unmarried partners may use a cohabitation agreement; they should not be assumed to have BC-style statutory family property after two years.
permitted_subjects
A cohabitation agreement typically addresses property and debts between unmarried partners. It cannot manufacture a statutory regime the province does not confer, and it cannot replace a will.
spousal_support
Support can be contracted about, subject to later judicial override questions.
child_support
Child support and parenting are not ordinary contractual waivers.
voluntariness
The Act includes setting-aside language for domestic contracts, including disclosure and understanding. Independent legal advice is evidence, not a U.S. certificate form.
financial_disclosure
Canadian family agreements are often judged partly on whether each party knew the assets and debts. This pack does not invent a U.S. statutory disclosure exhibit list.
independent_counsel
Canadian family agreements often stand or fall partly on whether each party could get advice. That is not a uniform statutory certificate across provinces, and Québec notarial counseling is a different professional model from common-law ILA letters.
timing
A cohabitation agreement signed years into a relationship, or a 'prenup' signed while unmarried just before a wedding, raises classification and transition questions. Marriage usually moves the couple onto the marriage-contract / marital-property statute.
limitations
Do not fold Newfoundland and Labrador into the Ontario FLA numbering even when the domestic-contract vocabulary looks similar.