Underthoughts

So I’ve been researching about name change in Quebec.

 Since 1981, in a vague of feminist movement and in an attempt to put man and woman on an equal stand vis à vis the legal system, it became unlawful  in Québec for a newly wed woman to take on the name of her husband. And there does not seem to be a way around it either.

By law, you can proceed in two ways if you want to have a name change. One  is through a legal course of action. This mainly applies to a child ‘in the event of abandonment by the father or mother, loss of parental authority or change of filiation upon adoption, for example.’ Understandable so far.

The other one is a change of name through administrative course of action. In this instance, The Directeur de l’état civil (Registrar of civil status) has to approve all name changes. However your application for a name change has to be based on serious reasons:

- You are now using, and have been continously using for a minimum of five years, a surname or given name that is not the same as that appearing on your act of birth. It must be a surname or give name that you use in all your personal, professional and social activites.

- Your name is of foreign origin or is too difficult to promounce or write in its orginal form. 

- Your name lends itself to ridicule or has become infamous.

- The registrar may also examine a name change application for any other serious reason that you present.

So if you want to take on the name of your husband for example you would have to wait 5 years, use his name consistently in ever sphere of your life even though legally it is not your name, confuse your friends, your bank, your doctor, your coworkers, Huamn Resource during 5 years, apply for the change, confuse everyone all over again. Oh and there is also an application fee of $300 à $400.  
Then you have to go to each governmental agency to present your name change paper (if accepted) and get them to change your name on your new cards for which, of course, you would have to pay a fee.

Would it not have been simpler to have a choice like in every other Province in Canada?