VANCOUVER – Today, West Coast LEAF calls on all levels of government to commit to addressing violence against Indigenous women and girls through a robust, effective national inquiry. Following decades of advocacy by Indigenous and women’s activists, the federal government finally committed to an Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. Earlier … Read more Release: Federal inquiry into missing, murdered Indigenous women lacks provincial commitment
In July 2016, West Coast LEAF wrote to Michelle Stilwell, Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation, to call for an end to the clawback of maternity leave and parental leave EI benefits from assistance payments for parents who are designated as Persons with Disabilities (PWD). Deducting maternity leave and parental leave benefits from disability assistance has … Read more Letter opposing the clawback of maternity and parental leave benefits from disability assistance
Vancouver – On July 12, 2016 West Coast LEAF will release a new report entitled High Stakes: The impacts of child care on the human rights of women and children. The report concludes that the rights of women and children are being violated in complex and wide-ranging ways as a result of the shortage of affordable, … Read more Release: New report finds that inadequate child care violates the rights of BC women and children
Our July 2016 law reform report High Stakes: The impacts of child care on the human rights of women and children is the culmination of our Right to Child Care project. The report calls on BC to take immediate steps to adopt and implement the $10aDay Plan to make child care significantly more affordable for … Read more High Stakes: The impacts of child care on the human rights of women and children
VANCOUVER – Today, a national coalition of women’s organizations including West Coast LEAF was granted intervener status in the inquiry into the conduct of Justice Robin Camp while he presided over a sexual assault trial in Alberta in 2014. Justice Camp asked the complainant, an Indigenous woman who was 19 years old and homeless at … Read more Release: Coalition intervenes in inquiry into judge’s conduct during sexual assault trial
Case summary This Inquiry concerns the conduct of a judge while he presided over a sexual assault trial (R v Wagar) as a judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta, including the judge’s remarks that: “sex and pain sometimes go together […] that’s not necessarily a bad thing”; “young wom[e]n want to have sex, particularly … Read more Inquiry Pursuant to Section 63(1) of the Judges Act regarding the Hon. Justice Robin Camp [2016]
In 2016, West Coast LEAF and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law created Roads to Safety, a legal handbook for older women in BC, as well as multilingual wallet cards listing sources of support. The handbook covers legal issues that older women might deal with when they have experienced violence. It explains rights and options, … Read more Roads to Safety
West Coast LEAF’s vision of gender equality includes a commitment to advancing the human rights of persons who are transgender and challenging the systemic inequalities they face. Read our letter in support of Bill M-222, an amendment to the Human Rights Code that would recognize gender identity and gender expression, which would add explicit protection from discrimination. … Read more Letter in support of the Bill M-222 to recognize gender identity and gender expression in the Human Rights Code
The Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence Against Indigenous Women has issued a press release to highlight its public statement urging full involvement of the provinces and territories in the national inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women. The participation of provincial and territorial governments is essential in order to ensure coordinated efforts in responding to and preventing … Read more Release: Coalition on violence against Indigenous women statement on the importance of full cooperation with the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Vancouver – Today, the BC Court of Appeal (“BCCA”) rendered judgment in Scott v. College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia. In this case, the complainant alleged that her massage therapist engaged in sexual misconduct. The Court was called upon to determine how governing bodies of healthcare professionals may respond to such allegations in order to protect the … Read more Release: BC Court of Appeal rules in favour of protecting the safety of women
