Case summary Schrenk v British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal is a case about the scope of discrimination regarding employment in British Columbia’s Human Rights Code. Specifically, the Supreme Court of Canada considered whether protection from discrimination in the workplace applies only where the wrongdoer is someone in a position of power or authority over the complainant and … Read more Schrenk v British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal [2017]
In February 2017, West Coast LEAF’s Executive Director Kasari Govender traveled to Ottawa to appear before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Download a complete transcript of her presentation on legal aid, including the question and answer period. The audio of the session can also be streamed here. Submissions
In February 2017, West Coast LEAF wrote to the Standing Committee on Children and Youth to recommend maintaining the Representative for Children and Youth’s statutory oversight of the child protection system. Read our full submission. (PDF, 304 KB) Submissions
A coalition of feminist organizations committed to ending violence against women offers support to the complainant at the conclusion of the retrial of sexual assault charges against the accused, Alexander Wagar. Mr. Wagar’s criminal case came to international attention due to the conduct of the first judge who heard the case, Justice Robin Camp. Mr. … Read more Release: Feminist coalition responds to verdict in Wagar retrial for sexual assault
Read our 2016 Annual Report. to learn about West Coast LEAF’s work for gender justice in the 2015/2016 fiscal year. Publications
Case summary This case is a Charter challenge to the use of solitary confinement in Canadian federal prisons. Under the regime challenged in this case, federally incarcerated persons can be placed in a type of solitary confinement called administrative segregation for a variety of vague and general reasons, such as belief on the part of prison administrators … Read more BC Civil Liberties Association and the John Howard Society of Canada v Canada [2017]
A national Coalition of women’s organizations commends today’s decision by an Inquiry Committee appointed by the Canadian Judicial Council that recommends the removal of Justice Robin Camp from his position as judge. The unanimous five-person committee concluded, “Justice Camp’s conduct is so manifestly and profoundly destructive of the concept of the impartiality, integrity and independence … Read more Release: Coalition of women’s organizations commends Camp decision
Canada is a signatory to a number of international declarations and conventions that commit our governments to advancing the equality rights of women in BC. One such international treaty is the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). CEDAW provides a comprehensive code of what women’s equality means in marriage, … Read more 2016 CEDAW Shadow Report
The project aims to identify strategies to reduce barriers in the justice system for sexual assault survivors through dialogue among key…
In November 2016, we wrote to Burnaby’s City Councilors and Mayor Derek Corrigan to urge them to take into account the possible consequences of displacement from rental housing for vulnerable residents, particularly women and their children, as they consider the Metrotown Development Plan. We explained why women and children’s safety and economic security are at … Read more Letter to Burnaby about the Metrotown Development Plan and women’s housing security
