About us
National Association of Women and the Law
Since our founding at a conference held at the University of Windsor law school in 1974, the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) has worked on its own and in collaboration with others to advance feminist law reform in Canada. We’re proud to have had a major role in achieving significant milestones for Canadian women’s equality, and for our feminist legal analysis and advocacy to have impacted countless laws and policies across the country — most notably in relation to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Sections 15 and 28 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Today, we continue to write briefs and discussions papers and appear before Parliamentary and Senate committees, and meet with decision makers to influence the law making process on current and emerging feminist law reform priorities. Working with feminist lawyers, students, service providers, academics, activists and allies, we are (re)building a feminist law reform network and increasing the capacities of women to engage in the law making process.
Our History
Our Staff
Tiffany Butler
Amalie Ascanius
Suzanne Zaccour
Thaïs Laborde
Merry Sun
Staff Bios
Tiffany Butler (she/her) is the Executive Director of NAWL. In this role, Tiffany leads and manages all aspects of NAWL’s operations. Prior to joining NAWL, Tiffany led the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Young Lawyers International Program (YLIP) supporting young lawyers from across Canada to gain international professional experience in climate justice, gender equality, human rights and law reform work. Prior to this, Tiffany managed a broad range of access to justice programs, including the University of Calgary’s Pro Bono Students Canada chapter and Calgary Legal Guidance’s Domestic Violence Legal Intervention Program providing survivor-centred legal services to women fleeing intimate partner and family violence. She began her legal career practicing law in specialized community and legal aid clinics providing trauma-informed legal representation to marginalized and vulnerable populations, primarily in the areas of violence against women and youth criminal defence.
Prior to her law career, Tiffany co-founded a snowboarding and skateboarding events production company dedicated to the inclusion and progression of women and girls in those sports. Tiffany has also contributed to the community through her volunteer work with Calgary’s gender-inclusive 100% Skate Club, as a volunteer board member with the Alberta River Surfing Association and currently as a volunteer board member with Les Amis de la Forêt-la-Blanche Ecological Reserve.
Tiffany obtained her law degree from the University of Calgary (2011) and a degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management specializing in Human Rights from Carleton University (2009). She was called to the Alberta Bar in 2012 and the Ontario Bar in 2018. Fluent in English and French, Tiffany has lived and studied across Canada, in Europe, and in Southeast Asia. Tiffany is an avid board sports enthusiast and recently picked up gardening which she enjoys doing with the help of her dog, Katka.
Our National Steering Committee
Julia completed the Advanced Master in Public International Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands (cum laude). She wrote her thesis on the definition of the crime of forced pregnancy as a crime against humanity (Hastings Journal on Gender and the Law, 2022) where she critically analyses the definition of this crime using an intersectional feminist perspective. She completed her Law degree at Laval University (Dean’s Honour List) and was called to the Bar in October 2018. As a feminist lawyer, Julia seeks to continue her journey advocating for the respect of sexual and reproductive health and rights with a focus on menstrual health, the prevention of morbidity related to pregnancies, abortion rights and the specific needs of pregnant persons in detention facilities. Julia joined the NAWL National Steering Committee in 2022.
During her time at Osgoode, Amanda completed the Feminist Advocacy Clinical Program. Offered in partnership with the Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, the program was comprised of weekly clinic shifts and seminars to help students develop feminist advocacy skills by providing legal assistance to women experiencing intimate partner violence.
Amanda was the 2021 recipient of the Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP Prize for her essay on intimate partner violence within LBGT relationships and was the 2020 recipient of the Mabel Penery French Prize awarded to the student with the highest standing in the course Law, Gender and Equality at Osgoode Hall Law School. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Gender and Women’s Studies from Trent University, a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences from Queen’s University and a diploma in x-ray technology from the Eastern Ontario School of X-Ray Technology. Amanda is bilingual in French.
Kerri A. Froc is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of New Brunswick. She is also writing a book tentatively titled, “The Gendered Constitution.” It concerns gender equality in Canadian constitutional law.
Dr. Froc received her Ph.D. from Queen’s University (2016), her Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa (2009); her Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (1996); and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Regina (1993). Her research interests include sex equality, theories of constitutional interpretation, access to justice, reproductive rights, rights of political representation, and complex rights violations experienced by working women, poor women and racialized and Indigenous women.
Before completing her Ph.D., Dr. Froc spent 18 years as a lawyer, including 10 years working as a staff lawyer for the Canadian Bar Association (CBA). While at the CBA, she worked on issues concerning diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and successfully lobbied for governmental benefits to be paid for the self-employed during parental leave. She is a Board member of the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity, as well as a member of the Saskatchewan (1997) and New Brunswick (2020) bars.
Strongly committed to feminist activism and to the project of feminist law reform, the focus of her academic research and advocacy has been to help shape policy and awareness around violence against women. Her work has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as in law reform initiatives here and in other countries. Lise served on the Board of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund and acted as National Chair between 2016-18, during which time she also contributed to numerous cases committees. Currently, she serves on the Advisory Committee of Courage to Act, helping to develop national strategies to combat campus sexual violence. In 2021, the University of Alberta recognized her public engagement through a Community Scholar Award.
Elizabeth is a passionate advocate for workers rights and spent 6 years as President of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA) at the University of Alberta. During her tenure she spearheaded a successful campaign for her union to affiliate with the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL). Subsequent to affiliation she served on the Executive Council of the AFL. While President of NASA she established a standing committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and a permanent EDI focused seat on the NASA Executive Board. She also coordinated the University-wide commemoration of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women for multiple years. Other experience serving on boards includes serving on the Steering Committee of the Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) and 3 years as Vice-Chair of the Alberta Public Service Pension Plan.
Jennifer has dedicated her career to access to justice, human rights, and equality issues. She graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Science and Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Laws. She was admitted to the Law Society of British Columbia in 1997. Jennifer previously worked on legal aid initiatives for Legal Aid BC, including opening child protection legal aid offices across the province. For many years, she worked internationally to improve access to justice and human rights in Africa and Asia.
Jennifer is an active volunteer in the legal profession. She has served on the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Policy and Advocacy, Professional Issues and Equality and Diversity Committees, and the National Access to Justice sub-committee. She was board member and co-chair of the Law and Government Liaison Committee for West Coast LEAF, board member and policy committee chair for an organization that advocates for the rights of migrant workers, and board member of a community legal aid clinic in Ontario.
As Executive Director of the Asper Centre, she has represented the Centre at the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Conway, R v. Barton, R. v. Kokopenace and the jury vetting appeals [R v Emms, R v Davey, R v Yumnu (2012)], as well as in the Polygamy Reference case at the B.C. Supreme Court and Tanudjaja v Canada (Attorney General) at the Ontario Court of Appeal. She is the past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association, Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Section and has served on the CBA National Constitutional and Human Rights Law and Child and Youth Law Sections executive. From 2018 to 2020 she served on the Child and Family Services Review Board and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and continues to serve on the Steering Committee of the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL). In 2019, Cheryl was awarded the Law Society Medal by the Law Society of Ontario for her contributions to the legal profession.
She teaches a Constitutional Advocacy clinic and Child and Youth Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto.
Sarah is a member of the Indigenous Circle of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, the Board of Directors of the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, and the Indigenous Advisory Committee of the Law Society of Alberta. She is an alumni of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 awards, 2021.
Photo of our 2019/2020 National Steering Committee — back row from left to right: Lorena Sekwan Fontaine, Susana May Yon Lee, Lisa Cirillo and Zahra Taseer; front row left to right: Martha Jackman, Naomi Telford, Anne Levesque and Cheryl Milne. Absent: Sasha Hart.
Photo of our 1991/1993 National Steering Committee — from left to right: Kerry Burke, Diane Zwicker, Ann Martin, Suki Beavers, Maeve Baird, Sue Brown, Susan Vella, Roz Currie, Sandra Sellens, Joan Brockman. Absent: Barb Janzen. Photo courtesy of the University of Ottawa Archives and Special Collections Fonds 10-036.
Our Feminist Law Reform Working Groups
To ensure that NAWL remains connected to our three key priority areas, we established three Feminist Law Reform (FLR) Working Groups:
FLR & Reproductive Rights: Chair: Julia Tétrault-Provencher, Myriam Pigeon, Andrea Rodriguez, Jennifer Taylor
- FLR & Climate Crisis: Chair: Sabaa Khan, Lauren Marshall , Melanie Snow, Shi Tao Zhang, Angela Lee
FLR & Violence Against Women: Chair: Lise Gotell, Pamela Cross, Jennifer Koshan, Janet Mosher, Zahra Taseer, Amanda Therrien