VICTORIA – Today, the provincial government released Budget 2020. While we are pleased that this budget is aimed at holding the course on earlier commitments, it still leaves BC’s most marginalized residents lagging far behind. “This budget does not go far enough to address the gendered dimensions of poverty and inequity,” says Raji Mangat, Executive Director … Read more Release: Budget 2020: Province committed to staying the course, but leaves many behind
This is a complaint before the BC Human Rights Tribunal about discrimination in the child protection system…
In February 2020, more than 20 individuals and organizations signed a letter calling on the federal government to change its approach to implementing the National Action Plan to ensure that it is led by Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. West Coast LEAF was one of the signatories to the letter. Read the letter Submissions
Academics such as Anne Orford have challenged feminists who operate at the intersections of law, equality, and social justice to imagine a rights framework that avoids reproducing the pervasive and often unspoken assumptions of imperialism and patriarchy. To me, feminist governance frameworks challenge masculinist and Eurocentric approaches to labour, decision-making, and communication by calling on us to actively reimagine … Read more A feminist governance framework recipe
In January 2020, West Coast LEAF provided input on modernizing BC’s regulation of health professions to address sexual violence in a consistent and comprehensive way. Our recommendations included undertaking a meaningful and accessible consultation process (including with survivors of sexual violence), providing greater direction to the bodies regulating health professions about how to prevent and … Read more Submission on regulating health professions
Read our 2019 Annual Report. to learn about West Coast LEAF’s work for gender justice in the 2018/2019 fiscal year. Publications
In December 2019, West Coast LEAF and Rise Women’s Legal Centre collaborated to respond to the BC government’s request for input about proposed new Provincial Court Family Rules. We urged the government to adopt a framework that would take into account the realities of gender-based violence and reduce barriers in access to justice. We also made the … Read more Submission on Provincial Court Family Rules
OTTAWA – West Coast LEAF is at the Supreme Court of Canada this morning, intervening in a case about the ability of judges in BC to ensure that children and their caregiving parent get the financial support to which they are entitled, by making changes to existing child support orders. In this important family law … Read more Release: Child support system must promote gender equality, advocacy group argues at Supreme Court of Canada
Today, a coalition of BC anti-violence organizations intervened in Maia Bent, et al. v. Howard Platnick, et al. at the Supreme Court of Canada. The coalition, including Atira Women’s Resource Society, Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre (formerly WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre) and West Coast LEAF, is calling on the Supreme Court of Canada to interpret anti-SLAPP legislation … Read more Release: Anti-SLAPP legislation must ensure the dignity, safety and equality rights of survivors of gender-based violence, says BC Coalition to Supreme Court of Canada
In September 2018, West Coast LEAF submitted a briefing note on Bill C-78 to ensure that proposed changes to the Divorce Act fulfill the stated goals of “promoting the best interests of the child, addressing family violence, reducing child poverty, and making Canada’s justice system more accessible and efficient” and avoid unintended and harmful consequences. … Read more Briefing Note on Divorce Act Amendments
