Frequently Asked Questions
What does West Coast LEAF do?
West Coast LEAF's mission is to acheive equality by changing historic patterns of discrimination against women through BC based equality rights litigation, law reform and public legal education.
What do you mean 'litigation'?
Going to court. West Coast LEAF intervene's with its partner, LEAF national, in cases that will have an impact on women's equality generally - whenever we can, we present to the courts in BC and Canada, legal arguments that will give substantive meaning to the promise of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and human rights for women.
What do you mean 'intervenor'?
An intervenor is a person or group who is not one of the parties in the case, but is invited by the judge to participate in the case because of their unique perspective on the issues at stake. In the US they call it 'friend of the court'. There can be 'intervenors' at any level, but most intervention applications happen at the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court of Canada.
Do you provide lawyers, do you represent people in court?
No because we are not a law firm or a legal clinic. We cannot offer legal advice, nor do we represent any individuals in court. We do have legal information available about equality rights, offer workshops, speakers, and we are always eager to hear about cases of discrimination and inequality when they happen (not happy, because the whole reason we exists is to end such things, but eager so that we can try and do something about it).
Our work is systemic and we simply don't have the capacity to take on individual cases. We are very aware that finding a lawyer, particularly in family law, when you can not afford it is a very challenging reality for many, many British Columbians, but we aren't the goup that can assist you in finding one. See our links pages for referrals.
If you have legal questions, we urge you to consult with a lawyer in BC to inquire about your legal options. Having said that, West Coast LEAF invites anyone with a case of discrimination and gender inequality to contact us.
Does West Coast LEAF become involved in human rights cases, or just Charter cases?
West Coast LEAF is interested in any case involving women's human rights and constitutional rights to equality. There are a number of ways we can be involved, from discussing feminist legal theory with a lawyer in the case, sharing resources and information, and other possibilities depending on our workload and strategic plans any given year. We are unlikely to intervene in a case formally until it reaches the BC Court of Appeal - but the sooner we know about a case, the easier it will be for us to intervene.
Having said that, any case goes through our case selection process (see litigation pages on our website).
What other resources are available to women who need legal representation?
In BC, other resources available to women who need legal information or representation are listed in our Links section.
For more information, please read the attached checklist describing what West Coast LEAF does and does not do.
