Feminist Legal Activism at 50 – Critical Reflections

On the occasion of the retirement of Professors Sanda Rodgers and Sheila McIntyre from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, the Shirley E. Greenberg Chair in Women and the Legal Profession is sponsoring a Symposium to mark this moment in Canadian feminist legal history. The Symposium will be held at the University of Ottawa on the evening of Thursday May 13 (followed by a reception) and all day Friday May 14, 2010.

The Symposium organizers invited two dozen Canadian feminists to reflect on the last five decades of legal activism with an eye to reflecting on what we would wish to harvest and build upon from five decades of struggle – what processes, what political formations, what mobilizing strategies, what ideas, what reforms and jurisprudential building blocks, what pedagogies, what models of leadership and of feminism, and what lessons from our failures. We also asked them to think about what was “feminist” in the struggles they undertook and what they fear may be forgotten or overlooked or unknown about feminist legal history.

Confirmed speakers include: Constance Backhouse, Janine Benedet, Christine Boyle, Angela Cameron, Michèle Caron, Andrée Côté, Shelagh Day, Mary Eberts, Leilani Farha, Shelley Gavigan, Radha Jhappan, Lee Lakeman, Louise Langevin, Diana Majury, Sharon McIvor, Patricia Monture, Kim Pate, Rakhi Ruparelia, Fiona Sampson and Margot Young.

The Symposium is open to anyone interested in feminist legal activism, past and future. Presentations will be in English and in French. The registration fee for the Symposium is $15 for students and $30 for others. Registration details and further information are available here or by e-mail: greenberg@uottawa.ca .

Policy Research Grants Project: Grant Recipient Announcement
The Trustees of the National Association of Women and the Law Charitable Trust for Research and Education are delighted to announce the first recipients of NAWL’s policy research grants project.

These grants will support the work of feminist researchers to prepare educational papers on legal issues that affect women, whose interests are often excluded from public policy discussions.

Recipient - Paper Topic
Mary Eberts - Customary Law and Women’s Rights

Constance Macintosh - Intimate Violence, Fundamental Human Rights and Gendered Persecution: Do the Guidelines Make the Link?

Adrian Smith/Dayna Scott - Social Reproduction and Temporary Labour Migration to Canada

Susan Strega - The Motherload of Blame: Failure to protect policies in Canadian child welfare law and policy.

Congratulations to the recipients, whose papers you can expect to see in Fall 2010!

Watch the NAWL website for future grant proposal calls.

Women’s Worlds 2011
From 3 to 7th July 2011 in Ottawa and Gatineau : Inclusions, Exclusions, and Seclusions: Living in a Globalized World.

Real Equality Now!
Our Annual Report 2008-2009 is
in downloadable pdf format.

NAWL connects with equality-seeking students
Want to join a Caucus?

How you can help us
NAWL's National Steering Committee is working hard to raise funds in order to hire back staff and restore our organizational capacity in 2008. To support us, please donate at CharityHelps.org.

Not in the Best Interests of Women and Children
An Analysis of Bill 422: An Act to Amend the Divorce Act (also available in doc),
released by NAWL on August 2009.

Brief to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women with regard to the “Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act”
Our concern over this Act begins with the way it was introduced. By bundling it into the 2009 Budget package, Parliament was unable to evaluate the merits or dangers of the legislation independent of the Budget. Given that the law aims to radically reform existing legislation on pay equity for the federal public service in a manner that is not endorsed by labour unions or women’s groups, this maneuver is particularly alarming. Here are a few points of particular concern (also available in doc) with the legislation itself.

NAWL' Report Card on the Throne Speech and the
Harper Government Agenda for the 40th Parliament
Read the Report Card relased on November 24th, 2008.

Harper government working to silence women
On September 20, 2007, NAWL was forced to close its office, lay off its staff, and cease consultations and advocacy on women's legal issues as an outcome of the Harper government's devastating changes to the mandate of Status of Women Canada. A grave blow to the continuing struggle for women's equality.

Missed the NAWL Mothering and Law: Defending Women’s Rights in 2007 Conference?
Read the Conference Proceedings and much more!

Towards a more inclusive
Maternity/Parental Benefits regime!
NAWL hosted over 20 representatives from Canadian and Québécois women’s groups and labour organization for a strategic workshop. Read the report (doc), the proposals for law reform (doc) and the analysis about how to finance new parental benefits (doc).

The "Pay Equity Network" in motion
NAWL convened over 40 representatives from women’s groups and Canadian and Québécois labour unions to achieve key recommendations. Take note of the important updates and read Status report on pay equity in Canada
(also in doc).