{"id":10393,"date":"2021-02-24T19:10:30","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T00:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/?p=10393"},"modified":"2021-02-24T19:09:39","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T00:09:39","slug":"sharia-law-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/sharia-law-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"SHARIA LAW IN CANADA:  HEARTBREAKING DIVORCE, RELIGIOUS MARRIAGE CONTRACTS, COURTS AND BANKRUPTCY"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this coronavirus pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Smith Trustee &amp; Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GYKucZFMyKE\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 id='sharia-law-in-canada-introduction'  id=\"boomdevs_1\"><b><i>Sharia law in Canada<\/i><\/b><b> introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am no religious expert, but this past week I was consulted by a professional going through a divorce.\u00a0 When we got to talking about his creditors, he spoke to me about a debt he will have under Islamic <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 The question I asked him is, will that debt be recognized as a debt under Ontario law?\u00a0 His response was yes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada has always prided itself on being a cultural mosaic.\u00a0 We are a welcoming country to those from around the world.\u00a0 So I started wondering why the issue of religious divorce and claims that may arise specifically from it, is not encountered in a bankruptcy context more often.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So I did the research on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> debt from a religious divorce.\u00a0 Lo and behold, he was right. \u00a0 So now I know a bit about two religion&#8217;s divorce requirements:\u00a0 Jewish and Islamic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today in this Brandon&#8217;s Blog, I am going to be talking about <em>Sharia law in Canada<\/em>, <em>religious divorce claims in Ontario<\/em>, <em>bankruptcy law<\/em>, and <em>divorce<\/em> in <em>Ontario<\/em>. Now, a lot of people don&#8217;t know too much about these topics, but they&#8217;re very important to understand. I will explore the Canadian and Ontario laws, and hopefully shed some light on is <em>Sharia law in Canada<\/em> and other <em>religious divorce claims<\/em> enforceable in Ontario and what happens in a bankruptcy?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='judaism-the-wedding-ceremony-religious-divorces-and-getting-a-get'  id=\"boomdevs_2\"><b>Judaism:\u00a0 The <\/b><b><i>Wedding Ceremony<\/i><\/b><b>, <\/b><b><i>Religious Divorces<\/i><\/b><b> and Getting a Get<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Judaism, like many other religions, partners are married according to religious marriage regulations in addition to provincial regulation.\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jewish marriage ceremonies<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> officiated by a Rabbi are also recognized as a lawful <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">civil ceremony<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for getting married in Ontario.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jewish marriage contract<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is called the Ketubah.\u00a0 When they want to end their marriage, they need more than just an order from the provincial <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">family law<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> court.\u00a0 They also need to approach a religious authority to grant a formal religious <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jewish divorce<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that would allow them to end the marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Religious divorces and civil divorces are two different things and involve different steps. A religious divorce, or Get, is a document that releases a Jewish woman from the obligation of a marriage to a man, as well as releasing a man from the obligation of providing support for his wife. A Get is required for the dissolution of a Jewish marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a man gives his wife a Get, he is freeing her to ultimately enter into another marriage. Without a Get, a Jewish woman is not allowed to remarry. A Get can only be given through the act of a religious court. The parties involved in the divorce cannot grant it. Thus, the Get must be granted by the husband, and a rabbinical court must be involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The act of getting a Get does not in itself produce a claim by one spouse against another.\u00a0 That is because there is not a religious marriage contract promising property from one partner to another as part of either the religious marriage or divorce.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10397\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"sharia law in canada\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10397\" src=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"sharia law in canada\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-wp-pid=\"10397\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>sharia law in canada<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id='sharia-law-in-canada-the-mahr'  id=\"boomdevs_3\"><b><i>Sharia Law in Canada<\/i><\/b><b>:\u00a0 The Mahr<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to realize that even though some of the rules and procedures of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Islamic marriage contracts<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Islamic divorce are similar to those of a civil divorce, the two are separate processes and are governed by two different institutions. The Islamic divorce is conducted by an Islamic judge or qadi.\u00a0 The qadi is part of an Islamic court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As I recently learned, in the Islamic religion, the Mahr agreement is a prenuptial agreement that establishes an amount of money or the property to be given by the husband to the wife as &#8220;Mahr&#8221; (dowry) at the time of marriage.\u00a0 The Mahr can also be waived by the wife if she so wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to limit the amount of money that can be requested in the event of a divorce, a number of Islamic jurists have proposed that the mahr agreement should be made in the form of a promissory note, payable upon demand, rather than a lump-sum payment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahr agreements are <em>Islamic marriage contracts<\/em> that are based on the Islamic religion. It explains what the bridegroom will provide to the bride as part of the marriage. The purpose of a Mahr agreement is to ensure that the bride will be provided for in the case of divorce or the death of the husband.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an Islamic marriage, the Mahr is a gift from the bridegroom to his bride. It is typically paid in cash, but it can also be paid in other forms, including real estate, gold, or jewelry. In today\u2019s economy, a Mahr agreement may also require the groom to provide a life insurance policy to the bride. The Mahr agreement can be written as a separate pre-marital contract.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When talking to this Muslim professional about his financial situation, there was a fascinating question that I ultimately researched the answer for.\u00a0 The question is, does <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> apply to the Mahr agreement so that the amount promised by the husband to the wife, payable upon divorce, is also a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">claim provable<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/consumer-proposal-bankruptcies-laws-in-ontario\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bankruptcy<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='sharia-law-in-canada-a-religious-ceremony-marriage-agreement-payment-can-be-a-claim-under-ontario-law'  id=\"boomdevs_4\"><b><i>Sharia Law in Canada<\/i><\/b><b>:\u00a0 A <\/b><b><i>Religious Ceremony Marriage Agreement<\/i><\/b><b> Payment Can Be A Claim Under Ontario Law<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the example I encountered, the Mahr agreement was a signed agreement.\u00a0 It called for a payment of six figures in Canadian dollars from the husband to the wife upon the divorce of the couple.\u00a0 This is a very significant debt for this man.\u00a0 In Ontario, the civil side of the divorce proceedings is adjudicated under the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/laws\/statute\/90f03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Family Law Act<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.3<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the year 2000, the Ontario government made laws about Mahr. These laws include 1. The amount of Mahr should be a minimum of $20,000 2. The payment should be done in a way that is acceptable according to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 3. The contract has to be made at the time of the marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, the preliminary issue of whether any religious marriage contract, including a Mahr agreement, can ever be enforced by a Canadian court was decided in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/ca\/scc\/doc\/2007\/2007scc54\/2007scc54.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marcovitz v. Bruker<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2007 SCC 54 (CanLII)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 The Supreme Court of Canada held that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the fact that a legal contract has a religious aspect or basis does not prevent its judicial consideration and enforceability, as long as the agreement has the necessary components to make it valid and lawfully binding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, a Canadian court is not prevented from considering the issue of a religious nature, provided that the claim is based upon the infraction of a policy recognized by legislation. There have actually already been cases in which Canadian courts have been asked to implement the results for responsibilities stemming from a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">religious marriage contract<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nonetheless, if a spouse can demonstrate that the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">religious marriage contract<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> fulfills all the demands for a civil contract under provincial law, then the courts can order the fulfilment of undertakings to pay the amounts called for in the contract.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10397\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3rct600\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10397\" src=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"sharia law in canada\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-wp-pid=\"10397\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>sharia law in canada<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id='sharia-law-in-canada-is-a-mahr-an-enforceable-obligation-in-an-ontario-divorce-situation'  id=\"boomdevs_5\"><b><i>Sharia Law in Canada<\/i><\/b><b>:\u00a0 Is a Mahr An <\/b><b><i>Enforceable Obligation<\/i><\/b><b> In An Ontario Divorce Situation?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To answer this question, we now need to look at the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ontario Family Law Act<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 Section 52 of the Act deals with marriage contracts.\u00a0 Section 52(1) states that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two people who are married to each other or intend to marry may enter into an agreement in which they agree on their respective rights and obligations under the marriage or on separation, on the annulment or dissolution of the marriage or on death.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such a marriage contract can deal with:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ownership in or division of property;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">support obligations;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the right to direct the education and moral training of their children, but not the right to decision-making responsibility or parenting time with respect to their children; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">any other matter in the settlement of their affairs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This section goes on to state that a provision in a marriage contract purporting to limit a spouse\u2019s rights regarding the matrimonial home is unenforceable.\u00a0 Section 56 identifies other areas where the court can disregard certain terms of a marriage contract.\u00a0 Those unenforceable aspects deal with clauses that may not be in the best interests of the children, provide inadequate support provisions or attempt to enforce chastity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ontario court decision in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/on\/onsc\/doc\/2017\/2017onsc6124\/2017onsc6124.html?autocompleteStr=Akkawi%20v%20Habli&amp;autocompletePos=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Akkawi v. Habli<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2017 ONSC 6124<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (CanLII) settles the specific issue of the Mahr.\u00a0 In that case, the court found that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Mahr is a valid contract and that it is enforceable as such agreements have been found to be valid and enforceable in the province of Ontario.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, under both <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Ontario law, the Mahr is an enforceable obligation in an Ontario divorce situation.\u00a0 Therefore, it is a valid claim by the wife against the husband.\u00a0 Since it is a valid claim, it is also a claim provable in bankruptcy.\u00a0 However, unlike <em>alimony or support payments<\/em>, but like an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/divorce-debt-equalization-bankruptcy\/\"><em>equalization claim<\/em><\/a>, in bankruptcy, the Mahr claim is a <em>provable claim<\/em> that <strong>IS<\/strong> discharged upon the bankrupt obtaining his <em>discharge from bankruptcy<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='religion-based-mahr-agreements-validity-and-status-under-canadian-law'  id=\"boomdevs_6\"><b>Religion-Based Mahr Agreements: Validity and Status Under Canadian Law<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So based on the combination of the Supreme Court of Canada decision and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision referred to above, the Mahr agreement in Ontario, based upon <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, results in an enforceable claim for money by the wife against the husband in divorce proceedings.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it is a valid claim, it is also a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">provable claim<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in bankruptcy.\u00a0 So in the bankruptcy of a husband getting divorced from his wife who has a financial obligation under a Mahr agreement, the wife has a claim in his bankruptcy for the amount of the Mahr.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So while we are on the topic of divorce, I will answer other questions I am normally asked when it comes to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">divorce and bankruptcy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10397\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3rct600\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10397\" src=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"sharia law in canada\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-wp-pid=\"10397\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>sharia law in canada<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id='answers-to-the-top-5-divorce-and-bankruptcy-questions-secular-stuff'  id=\"boomdevs_7\"><b>Answers to the Top 5<\/b><b><i> Divorce and Bankruptcy<\/i><\/b><b> Questions &#8211; Secular stuff<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This section has nothing to do with Sharia law in Canada.\u00a0 Rather, it is the answers to the top 5 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/bankruptcy-and-divorce-not-all-reasons-to-go-bankrupt-are-good\/\"><em>bankruptcy and divorce<\/em><\/a> questions we are asked.\u00a0 It is purely secular.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='what-happens-to-spousal-and-child-support-payments-during-bankruptcy'  id=\"boomdevs_8\"><b><i>What happens to spousal and child support payments during bankruptcy?<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to note that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bankruptcy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is not a &#8220;get out of debt free&#8221; card; a person is still responsible for the money they owe for spousal and child support payments.\u00a0 The amount set by the family court will still be required to be paid before, during and after bankruptcy.\u00a0 Spousal and child support payments are not discharged when a person receives their discharge from bankruptcy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='who-is-responsible-for-joint-debt-when-separating-or-divorcing'  id=\"boomdevs_9\"><b><i>Who is responsible for joint debt when separating or divorcing?<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The question of who is responsible for joint debt is not a new one and is often asked by married couples with a substantial amount of shared debt. The response depends, in part, on the type of debt incurred as well as the level of contribution of each individual to the debt. If both spouses signed a loan agreement or credit agreement, both will be liable for the debt. However, the creditor may choose to pursue one spouse and not the other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the case of a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">joint credit card<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">credit card<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> account in the names of both spouses, both are liable for the debt.\u00a0 Whether one spouse used the credit card either more than the other or one spouse did not use that card at all, each is liable for the entire debt.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='what-happens-to-joint-debt-if-you-file-for-bankruptcy'  id=\"boomdevs_10\"><b><i>What happens to joint debt if you file for bankruptcy?<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If one person declares bankruptcy, the other person in the relationship will have to continue making full payments on any<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> joint debt<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> remaining. If you file for bankruptcy to eliminate your <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsecured debt<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, your creditors can go after your ex-spouse for the full amount of any joint debts you had while together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Concerning secured debt, such as the home mortgage or a vehicle loan, the debt follows the asset.\u00a0 So depending on who ends up wanting to keep the asset, that person will want to keep making the payments so that the secured lender won&#8217;t enforce its security against the asset in question.\u00a0 No doubt the retention of the asset and taking over full responsibility for the debt payments will be taken into account in the overall divorce proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='what-happens-to-joint-debts-after-bankruptcy'  id=\"boomdevs_11\"><b><i>What Happens To Joint Debts After Bankruptcy?<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the bankruptcy process, you\u2019ve finally received your discharge, wiping the slate clean of all of your <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsecured debt<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Once the bankruptcy is over, the last thing you want to do is start accumulating debts again, but what about any joint debts you have with ex-spouses? Can they come back and haunt you? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, no. The creditors do retain their rights to make the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsecured claims<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the joint debts against the ex-spouse who did not go bankrupt.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='do-support-or-alimony-payments-affect-surplus-income'  id=\"boomdevs_12\"><b><i>Do Support or Alimony Payments Affect Surplus Income?<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, they do.\u00a0 If the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bankrupt person<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is making <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">support or alimony payments<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surplus income<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> calculation allows the bankrupt to deduct those monthly payments from their monthly income.\u00a0 Therefore, the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">support or alimony payments<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> end up reducing a person&#8217;s required <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surplus income payment<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='sharia-law-in-canada-summary'  id=\"boomdevs_13\"><b><i>Sharia law in Canada<\/i><\/b><b> summary<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hope that you found the question posed in this <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharia law in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Brandon Blog about the Mahr claim, and specifically, can religious marriage contracts be upheld in Ontario divorce proceedings, as interesting as I did.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are concerned because you or your business are dealing with substantial debt challenges and you assume bankruptcy is your only option, call me. It is not your fault that you remain in this way. You have actually been only shown the old ways to try to deal with financial issues. These old ways do not work anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Smith Team<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> utilizes new modern-day ways to get you out of your debt difficulties while<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/bankruptcy-alternative\/\"> <b><i>avoiding bankruptcy<\/i><\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We can get you the relief you need and so deserve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tension put upon you is big. We know your discomfort factors. We will check out your entire situation and design a new approach that is as unique as you and your problems; financial and emotional. We will take the weight off of your shoulders and blow away the dark cloud hanging over you. We will design a debt settlement strategy for you. We know that we can help you now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We understand that people and businesses facing financial issues need a realistic lifeline. There is no \u201cone solution fits all\u201d method with the<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Smith Team<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Not everyone has to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">file bankruptcy in Canada<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The majority of our clients never do. We help many people and companies stay clear of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bankruptcy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is why we can establish a new restructuring procedure for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">paying down debt<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that will be built just for you. It will be as one-of-a-kind as the economic issues and discomfort you are encountering. If any one of these seems familiar to you and you are serious about getting the solution you need,<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"> <b>contact the Ira Smith Trustee &amp; Receiver Inc. group today<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"><b>Call us now for a no-cost consultation<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will get you or your business back up driving to healthy and balanced trouble-free operations and get rid of the discomfort factors in your life, <\/span><b><i>Starting Over, Starting Now<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this coronavirus pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Smith Trustee &amp; Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10397\" style=\"width: 580px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/g.page\/torontobankruptcy?share\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10397\" src=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"sharia law in canada\" width=\"580\" height=\"580\" data-wp-pid=\"10397\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sharia-law-in-canada-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>sharia law in canada<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this coronavirus pandemic. Ira Smith Trustee &amp; Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting. Sharia law in Canada introduction I am no religious expert, but this past [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[4752,4749,126,4757,4099,4744,4748,4746,4747,4743,4742,4750,4751,4745,4741,4755,4756,4753,4754],"class_list":["post-10393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brandon-blog-post","tag-akkawi-v-habli","tag-claim-provable-in-bankruptcy","tag-divorce-and-bankruptcy","tag-do-support-or-alimony-payments-affect-surplus-income","tag-equalization-claim","tag-get","tag-islamic-marriage-contracts","tag-jewish-marriage-ceremonies","tag-jewish-marriage-contract","tag-ketubah","tag-mahr-agreement","tag-marcovitz-v-bruker","tag-ontario-family-law-act","tag-religious-divorce-claims","tag-sharia-law-in-canada","tag-what-happens-to-joint-debt-if-you-file-for-bankruptcy","tag-what-happens-to-joint-debts-after-bankruptcy","tag-what-happens-to-spousal-and-child-support-payments-during-bankruptcy","tag-who-is-responsible-for-joint-debt-when-separating-or-divorcing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10393"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10407,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10393\/revisions\/10407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}