Maintenance Enforcement Survey: Child and spousal support

The report Child and Spousal Support: Maintenance Enforcement Survey Statistics, 2003/2004, 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 assist recipients in obtaining their support payments without having to go before the courts. It is estimated that maintenance enforcement programs handle 40% to 50% of all support orders and agreements in Canada.

These programs vary in a number of important aspects, including client profile, enforcement powers and practices, enrolment process, how payments are handled and registered, and the responsibilities of clients. In some provinces all support orders and agreements are registered with the maintenance enforcement program, while in others enrolment is voluntary. In the latter situation, it is the more difficult cases (those in arrears or default) that tend to be registered. These differences have important implications for interpreting the survey data.

This report includes data for Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, which have mandatory registration, and British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island, which have voluntary registration. Combined, these seven provinces represent about 90% of Canada's population.

As of March 31, 2004, there were nearly 390,000 cases enrolled in a maintenance enforcement program in the seven reporting provinces. This included: 2,500 cases in Prince Edward Island, 13,500 in New Brunswick, 102,300 in Quebec, 176,700 in Ontario, 7,800 in Saskatchewan, 47,000 in Alberta and 39,800 in British Columbia.

Program caseloads varied from month to month, but appeared to be increasing in most jurisdictions. Compared with March 2003, the caseload in March 2004 was up in Prince Edward Island (+7%), Quebec (+4%) and Ontario and Saskatchewan (+2% each). There was also a 3% increase in New Brunswick from April 2003, the first month for which data are available. In British Columbia, the caseload remained fairly stable, while in Alberta, enrolment declined 3%.

The vast majority of cases involved a support amount for children. On March 31, 2004, 97% of cases registered with the maintenance enforcement program in British Columbia included a support amount for children, as did 96% of cases in New Brunswick, 91% in Prince Edward Island, 90% in Saskatchewan, 79% in Alberta and 73% in Ontario. This information was not available for Quebec.

For all seven reporting provinces, a large proportion of registered cases had a regular monthly payment of $400 or less. This was the situation for 46% of cases in Alberta, 50% in Ontario, 58% in Quebec, 64% in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, and 68% in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

There are many ways of looking at compliance with support orders. One measure considers the amount paid as a proportion of the regularly scheduled amount due. During 2003/2004, Prince Edward Island collected 66% of the money that was due in the form of regular monthly payments, while British Columbia collected 71%, Saskatchewan 78%, and Quebec 92%.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3324.

The report Child and Spousal Support: Maintenance Enforcement Survey Statistics, 2003/2004 (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.