When Courts Break Fathers Financially, the Children Pay the Price

By Tom Marazzo

Walk into any Family Court in Ontario and you'll see a familiar scene: fathers representing themselves, heads down, documents in hand, and hope slowly draining from their faces. This isn’t rare. It’s not the exception. It’s the rule.

Today, over 70% of fathers in Ontario’s Family Courts are self-represented. Not because they’re reckless or dismissive, but because they’re broke. Legal fees in custody and support battles are astronomical — and when you're already being squeezed for child and spousal support, affording a lawyer becomes impossible. The same court that demands perfection from these fathers then punishes them when they inevitably fall short.

This is not justice. It’s a setup.

The Myth of the “Deadbeat Dad”

Public perception still clings to the image of the “deadbeat dad” — the man who walks away, doesn’t pay, doesn’t show up, doesn’t care. But that myth has become a convenient cover for a system that creates deadbeats by design.

Many men labeled as “deadbeat” were fully present fathers — until the courts stripped them of time with their children and imposed financial obligations they could never meet. They didn’t walk away. They were pushed out, squeezed dry, and then branded as failures. What most people never see are the fathers quietly working two jobs, skipping meals, and falling behind on their own rent just to avoid being in arrears.

This isn’t abandonment. It’s financial collapse.

The Court Says It Cares About the Child — But Follows the Money

We are constantly told that Family Court operates under the principle of “the best interests of the child.” But in reality, that phrase has become a smokescreen. What drives decisions in courtrooms across this province is not the child’s well-being — it’s the question of who earns more and how much can be extracted.

Fathers — especially those with higher incomes — quickly learn that they aren’t being assessed as parents, but as payers. The court system isn't concerned with the strength of the father-child bond, the impact of reduced parenting time, or the emotional consequences for the child. It cares about enforceable financial orders.

And everything a man is ordered to do — every dollar owed, every payment missed — is backed by the full weight of the law. He can have his wages garnished, his driver's license suspended, be evicted from his own home, or even face jail time for arrears.

It doesn’t matter if he’s struggling. It doesn’t even matter if the child turns out not to be biologically his. Yes, even if DNA proves the child isn’t his, child support orders can remain in place.

It gets worse. A man can be forced to pay child support for children from a previous relationship — while the biological father is also paying support for the same children. The system does not correct these injustices. It doubles down. It prioritizes financial continuity over biological reality, and bureaucratic consistency over human truth.

The more you make, the more you pay. The less you earn, the faster you drown. The system doesn’t protect the child — it protects the money.

When Courts Break Fathers, Children Pay the Price