Section 25.1 — Divorce Act: Provincial child support service — recalculation of child support

With the approval of the Governor in Council, the Minister of Justice may, on behalf of the Government of Canada, enter into an agreement with a province authorizing a provincial child support service designated in the agreement to recalculate, in accordance with the applicable guidelines, the amount of child support orders on the basis of updated income information. To the extent that it is not inconsistent with this section, the law of the province applies to a provincial child support service in the performance of its functions under this section. For the purposes of subsection (1), if a spouse does not provide the income information, a provincial child support service may deem the income of that spouse to be the amount determined in accordance with the method of calculation set out in the law of the province or, if no such method is specified, in accordance with the method prescribed by the regulations. Subject to subsection (5), the amount of a child support order as recalculated pursuant to this section shall for all purposes be deemed to be the amount payable under the child support order. Subject to subsection (5), the income determined under subsection (1.2) shall be deemed to be the spouse’s income for the purposes of the child support order. The spouse against whom a child support order was made becomes liable to pay the recalculated amount on the day, or on the expiry of the period specified by the law of the province or, if no day or period is specified, on the expiry of the period prescribed by the regulations. If either or both spouses do not agree with the recalculated amount of the child support order, either or both of them may, before the day or within the period specified by the law of the province or, if no day or period is specified, within the period prescribed by the regulations, apply to a court of competent jurisdiction in the case of an interim order made under subsection 15.1(2), for an order under section 15.1; in the case of a provincial child support service decision made under section 25.01, for an order under section 15.1; or in any other case, if they are former spouses, for an order under paragraph 17(1)(a). Where an application is made under subsection (4), the operation of subsection (3) is suspended pending the determination of the application, and the child support order continues in effect. If an application made under subsection (4) is withdrawn before it is determined, the spouse against whom the child support order was made becomes liable to pay the recalculated amount on the day on which the spouse would have become liable had the application not been made. In this section, child support order has the same meaning as in subsection 2(1) and also means an interim order made under subsection 15.1(2), a provincial child support service decision made under section 25.01 and a variation order made under paragraph 17(1)(a).