Canadian family law doesn’t reflect all Canadian families. We’re working to change that.
We bridge social scientific research and legal frameworks to produce evidence that is rigorous, community-grounded, and built for policy impact. Our work doesn’t stop at academic publication — it drives change.
Closing the gap between policy and lived experience.
Family law in Canada was built around a narrow storyline — one centred on the nuclear family as the default, against which all others are measured. That storyline leaves out the many ways families actually live, care, and belong.
CFJR bridges social scientific research and legal frameworks to produce work that is rigorous enough to hold up to scrutiny and accessible enough to drive real change — in legislation, policy, and practice.
We translate findings into briefs, reports, and recommendations that reach the practitioners, policymakers, and organizations who can act on them.
Independence
Operating at arm's length from any single funder or interest, so our findings remain credible across all policy contexts.
Rigour
Highest standards of research excellence — credible and scrutiny-proof.
Equity
Centring the voices of those most affected by family law and policy.
Impact
Research fulfils its purpose when it reaches beyond academia.
Our Work
Project 01 · Completed Research · 2026
Social Resilience & Polyamorous Families
Seven years of ethnographic fieldwork documenting how 64 Canadian polyamorous families navigate institutional exclusion and build frameworks for family life.
Policy implication: Urgent reform needed in healthcare access, co-parenting recognition, and IPVA service design.
Read more →Project 02 · Completed Research · 2025
Writing PolyQueer Worlds
Exploring how non-monogamous families in Canada and the U.S. structure relationships in response to legal liminality.
Policy implication: Legal liminality increases vulnerability. Reform must address recognition gaps directly.
Read more →Project 03
Chosen: Canadian Queer Kinship Stories
A community-engaged study documenting queer kinning practices and the legal recognition chosen family structures require.
Policy implication: Chosen kinship networks provide primary care but hold no legal standing.
Learn more →family justice research
Dr. Pedrom Nasiri, MStJ
Dr. Pedrom Nasiri is the Founder and Director of the Centre for Family Justice Research. Their work sits at the intersection of legal analysis, sociological research, and policy advocacy — a combination that is unusual in Canadian family justice scholarship.
Their doctoral research focuses on queer and non-monogamous families, examining how institutional structures shape lived family experience and what legal reform is needed to close those gaps.
Recent work includes a policy report on intimate partner violence in queer non/monogamous families, parliamentary brief research on conversion practices legislation, and the development of Chosen: Canadian Queer Kinship Stories.
All CFJR research is freely available.
We believe research only fulfils its purpose when it reaches beyond academia. All CFJR publications are openly accessible — no paywalls, no institutional access required.
Request a BriefingResearch that reaches
beyond the page.
We work with nonprofit organisations, legal aid clinics, advocacy coalitions, and government policy units. Our work is particularly suited to organisations at the intersection of family law, gender-based violence, and 2SLGBTQIA+ equity.
If you need rigorous research to support a funding application, a policy brief, or an expert voice for a community consultation — we should talk.
Policy Research & AnalysisFamily law, IPVA, and 2SLGBTQIA+ equity across legislative and regulatory contexts.
Brief & Report WritingParliamentary submissions, regulatory briefs, funding applications, and research reports.
Community-Engaged ResearchContext-specific qualitative and quantitative research design and facilitation with equity-deserving populations.
Knowledge MobilizationTranslating academic findings for practitioner, community, and public audiences.
Get in Touch
Tell us about your organisation and what you're working on.
Response Time
Every message is read by Dr. Nasiri personally, and we typically respond to all emails within 2-3 business days.
Or write to info@familyjusticeresearch.org