How has the court considered the role of the wife in determining who takes on the bulk of the parenting role during an intact relationship?

Much of the evidence of the wife focussed on the parenting roles prior to separation. The evidence established that the wife took on the larger role although the husband was an involved parent, at times limited by his work and related commitments. Despite the wife’s focus here, in my view the significance of who took on the bulk of the children’s care during the intact relationship fades somewhat when their best interests is examined over three and a half years later when circumstances relating to the now older children have changed. Although a variation and mobility case, Gordon v. Goertz, 1996 CanLII 191 (SCC), [1996] 2 S.C.R. 27 emphasised the need for a “fresh” inquiry (paragraph 47) looking at the existing arrangements (paragraphs 49-7(a) and (b)) and cautioned against undervaluing changes (paragraph 45).