“As a parent of a young child, I find that there are two kinds of opportunities for learning about social justice with kids. The first are the learning moments when an opportunity arises to talk to my kid about the impacts of discrimination and injustice—for example, talking about why we wear orange shirts on Orange Shirt … Read more Kids’ books for social justice: learning and unlearning
VICTORIA – Today, the provincial government released Budget 2019. The budget takes important steps towards addressing poverty in the province. The budget also leaves disappointing gaps in services that will disproportionately impact women and other people impacted by gender-based discrimination. “This budget indicates political will to address poverty and implements some important measures to address … Read more Release: Budget 2019 brings welcome improvements in benefits but falls short on legal aid
VANCOUVER – This week, West Coast LEAF will intervene at the BC Human Rights Tribunal in a complaint arising under the BC Human Rights Code’s prohibition against discriminatory publications. The case, Oger v Whatcott, will be heard over five days, from December 11-14, and on December 17. In 2017, Morgane Oger ran for political office as an … Read more Release: Hate speech hearing set to begin at the BC Human Rights Tribunal
VANCOUVER – Today, West Coast LEAF released its 10th annual Report Card on the rights of women in BC. The report card shows that although BC’s grades have improved in six areas, further progress is needed for the province to satisfy its international obligations to women’s human rights. Advancements in areas such as child care are encouraging, but … Read more Release: Report card on gender equality in BC released
VANCOUVER – West Coast LEAF has filed a response to the Province’s and the Legal Services Society’s efforts to bring our case challenging BC’s family law legal aid regime to an end. Last year, West Coast LEAF sued the BC government and the Legal Services Society (“LSS) for the harms caused by BC’s family law legal aid regime to women leaving abusive … Read more Release: Legal aid case must proceed despite the government’s attempt to stop it
I’m passionate about voting. I vote wherever and whenever I have the opportunity. What I don’t love is feeling like my vote doesn’t count or feeling forced to vote “strategically,” not for who I want to win, but against the person I definitely hope will lose. If you’re in a riding that’s considered “safe,” perhaps … Read more The Feminist Argument for Proportional Representation
VANCOUVER – Today, West Coast LEAF released a report about why women often do not report sexual assault through the criminal justice system – in women’s own voices. We Are Here: Women’s Experiences of the Barriers to Reporting Sexual Assault centres women’s experiences of the devastating impacts of sexual assault, which are all too often deepened by the legal system’s … Read more Release: New report details why women often do not report sexual assault through the criminal justice system – in their own words
Tomorrow, October 4, is the annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil. This is a day to honour and remember Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people; those we have lost to ongoing colonial and misogynistic violence across Turtle Island (otherwise known as North America). The Native Women’s Association of Canada describes the vigils as a … Read more One Mouth and Two Ears: Setting Intentions for the Sisters in Spirit Vigil
West Coast LEAF has long been a trans-inclusive organization – to some extent. Since 2003, we have explicitly defined “women” as encompassing all those who define themselves as women, whatever their sex assignment at birth. The hard part for us in recent years has been whether and how to include people who don’t define themselves as women; … Read more The Feminist Tent
VANCOUVER – West Coast LEAF welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s judgments, released today, in two cases concerning admissions to a proposed law school at Trinity Western University (“TWU”), an Evangelical Christian university located in Langley, BC. The Court ruled that the mandatory Covenant at TWU creates inequitable barriers to entry to their proposed law … Read more Release: Supreme Court Says No to Discriminatory Law School Admissions