In March 2021, the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity and West Coast LEAF made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, urging against more punitive restrictions of online sex work and pornography, and calling for policy informed by meaningful consultation with sex workers. The harms of … Read more Submissions on the impacts of criminalization and punitive regulation of online sex work
West Coast LEAF collaborated with Rise Women’s Legal Centre and lawyer Frances Rosner on submissions in response to a consultation paper by the BC Law Institute about possible reforms to child welfare law. Our submissions were developed in consultation with a group of front-line family support organizations, anti-violence advocates, family law experts, and feminist legal advocates with expertise in … Read more Joint submissions on the BC Law Institute consultation paper on Modernizing the Child, Family and Community Service Act
In July 2020 we made submissions to the BC government’s Building BC’s Recovery Together engagement process. Our submissions explain that BC’s recovery plan must be feminist in both process and substance. We highlight the impact the pandemic is having on people who experience marginalization on the basis of gender, the essential elements of a feminist … Read more Submission to BC’s COVID Restart Plan
In June 2020, West Coast LEAF made submissions to the budget consultations held by the government of BC Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. We urged the committee to keep front of mind the following fact: if we do not urgently scale up efforts to combat gender inequality, we will see long-term and major … Read more Submission to the BC Budget 2020 consultations
In June 2020, West Coast LEAF made submissions to the government of Canada regarding its response to COVID-19. We highlighted the link between the COVID-19 pandemic and worsening gender disparities in Canada when it comes to financial security, safety, freedom from violence, and more. We then recommended four concrete actions the government can take to … Read more Submissions on the Canadian government’s response to COVID-19
The many children in BC living in homes led by kinship caregivers should not be left out of the financial supports the federal government is providing to families during the COVID-19 crisis. This is why we have joined Parent Support Services Society of BC and other organizations in calling for the Canada Child Benefit to extend to … Read more Letter urging Canada Child Benefit eligibility for kinship caregivers
In January 2020, West Coast LEAF added our voice to the call by Sanctuary City Vancouver and many other groups to end the three-month waiting period to access health care for people entering or returning to Canada. Read our letter to the BC Ministry of Health Medical Services Commission. Submissions
In February 2020, 20 organizations and individuals sent a letter to the Canadian government expressing concerns about a lack of information and delays regarding the registration process for First Nations women and their descendants who are newly entitled to status because of recent amendments to the Indian Act. West Coast LEAF is one of the signatories. … Read more Joint letter on Bill S-3 and Indian status registration for First Nations women and their descendants
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
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
