The time to act is now! NAWL wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to table pay equity legislation in the House of Commons without further delay.
[Only available in English.]

Some 500 Aboriginal women have been disappeared/murdered over the past three decades in Canada. In support of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), NAWL and others urge Minister Anne McLellan to fund research and education related to violence against Aboriginal women.

NAWL opposes faith-based arbitration in family law. When Marion Boyd’s Report came out in favour of faith-based arbitration, NAWL wrote to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and other politicians to voice our concern.

In NAPE v Newfoundland, the Supreme Court ruled that it was acceptable to pay discriminatory wages to women in order to avoid an impending “fiscal crisis.” NAWL and 99 other groups disagree! We asked the federal government to show its commitment to women in every part of Canada by helping the Province of Newfoundland to pay back the debt it owes to women health care workers.
[Only available in English.]

Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler has recognized on more than one occasion that “women’s rights are human rights”. Yet he was ready to consider re-introducing Bill C-22 to amend the Divorce Act without any analysis whatsoever of the impact of proposed changes on women’s equality, security and other human rights. NAWL let him know why some aspects of Bill C-22 are problematic for women and children.
[Only available in English.]

The American Convention on Human Rights is an important human rights instrument, yet it contains a right to life provision. Ratification could have important consequences for women’s reproductive rights in Canada. NAWL wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to raise the question of whether and how Canada should ratify the American Convention on Human Rights.
[Only available in English.]

NAWL has called on the federal government to ensure that all women have access to decent housing, quality health care, adequate income security, improved maternity and parental benefits and universal, publicly funded childcare. These measures require federal funding. NAWL wrote to the Minister of Finance to stress the importance of developing gender sensitive budget policies.
[Only available in English.]

The American Convention on Human Rights is an important human rights instrument, yet it contains a right to life provision. NAWL will not endorse ratification of the American Convention until we have the assurance that women’s reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, will be effectively guaranteed. NAWL wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to let him know about our concern.
[Only available in English.]

On Indian Reserves, women's human rights can be violated without any legal remedy. NAWL’s working group on Aboriginal Women’s Rights urges the federal government to take immediate action to ensure that women's matrimonial property rights are fully recognized and respected on Reserves.

Canada has constitutional and international human rights obligations to prevent racism, protect racialized groups and redress the negative impact of racist laws and policies. In light of these commitments, NAWL wrote to the Minister of Heritage Canada to find out what plan of action and what concrete measures have been put in place to address racism.
[Only available in English.]

Bill C-22 proposed amendments to the Divorce Act that could have a huge impact on women’s lives as well as on those of their families. NAWL wrote to the Minister of Justice in French to let him know what we thought of Bill C-22. - [Only available in French.]

A similar letter was sent to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in English.

When the Minister of Justice announced his intention to introduce changes to the Divorce Act, he considered abandoning the concepts of custody and access in favour of notions such as “shared parenting” or “parental responsibility”. NAWL urged him to proceed with the utmost caution in his proposed reforms to family law in regards to the care and responsibility for children after divorce

When the Minister of Justice contemplated the possibility of a statutory presumption of joint custody or “shared parental responsibility”, NAWL reminded him of the reality of the situation. In spite of formal joint custody arrangements, many women soon end up caring for their children alone, without adequate child support. This is why a statutory presumption of joint custody could have negative consequences for women and children.
[Only available in French.]