In British Columbia, the age of majority (the age you're legally an adult) is 19. When children are under the age of majority, their guardians are responsible for caring for them and raising them.
Usually, a child's parents are their guardians.
But other people, including siblings (brothers and sisters), can apply to court to become a guardian if they're 19 or over.
The only thing the court will look at is what's in the child's best interests.
If you have a close relationship with your siblings, that will definitely help, but the court will look at lots of other things. See Best interests of the child for a complete list of what the court will look at when it's deciding what's in your siblings' best interests.
A court could appoint you as the only guardian or they could make you the guardian along with another person or someone who’s already a guardian.
To find out more about guardianship, see:
- Guardianship: Parenting time and parental responsibilities
- Parenting apart
- How to become a child's guardian
If you're thinking about applying to court for guardianship of a younger sibling, speak to a lawyer first.