Special to the Financial Post

Canada's incoming Governor-General, Julie Payette, recently sought to have the contents of her Maryland divorce file sealed. It's a sentiment that many who have gone through a divorce probably share.

Unfortunately for Payette and for most Canadians, the courts here set a high bar for restricting the public's access to court files.

Except for Quebec, all other Canadian provinces presume that both civil and family litigation will be open and subject to public scrutiny — even those involving the most intimate details of a divorcing couple.

And Family law court files are often full of such details.

To read Torkin Manes lawyer Laurie H. Pawlitza's latest column in the Financial Post,  click here. 

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