Five Decades of Advancing Women’s Rights

NAWL members in conversation, archival photo

Participants at a NAWL meeting, archival photo

Speaker at a NAWL conference, in front of the association's bilingual banner

Canada-China Women's Law Project meeting, October 1999

Workshop with the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Meeting with the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Celebrating the Legacy, Defining the Future

2024 marks 50 years of leadership from NAWL’s inception in 1974 to our position today as the national voice for feminist law reform to advance substantive equality for all women in Canada.

With the theme Celebrating the Legacy, Defining the Future, anniversary activities throughout the year recognize the impact of NAWL’s work – both now and then – to build a stronger, more inclusive and equitable justice system.

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Celebrating the Legacy

Defining the Future

Check out our historical timeline and other aspects of our exciting 50th Anniversary program.

Historical Timeline

Celebrating the Legacy

Anniversary activities kicked off on February 29^th when NAWL hosted the ‘Celebrating the Legacy’ Reception and Awards Ceremony on Parliament Hill.

As part of the ‘Celebrating the Legacy’ theme, Members of Parliament and Senators joined NAWL to honour the substantive contributions NAWL’s volunteers and partners have made toward advancing substantive equality for women over the past 50 years.

In recognition of their role as crucial collaborators in the quest for women’s substantive equality, invitees included representatives from the feminist and social justice organizations with whom NAWL works closely.

Guests at NAWL's “Celebrating the Legacy” reception and awards ceremony on Parliament Hill

In 2024, in partnership with the National Association of Women and the Law, the University of Ottawa Archives and Special Collections celebrates NAWL’s 50th anniversary by delving into the organization’s history through a 5-part digital exhibit, including our landmark achievements, legal interventions, organizational challenges, and our undeniable impact on Canadian society.

Click on this link to learn about the Founding of NAWL, and our work on various cases and issues including Women and Work, Violence Against Women, Reproductive Justice, and Marriage Equality.

Defining the Future

For its 50^th Anniversary, NAWL revived its Student essay competition. Congratulations to the winners of our 50th-anniversary essay contest:

The winning submission was from Tess Moffat from the University of Ottawa for her essay, The State as a Primary Perpetrator of Violence Against Indigenous Women.
Veronica Kiang, from Toronto Metropolitan University, was the runner-up for her entry, Fool’s Gold and Broken Rules: An Analysis on Wrongful Strip Searches Against Women.
Third place was awarded to Marina Bredin, also a student at the University of Ottawa, for her submission, Towards Decolonial Reproductive Justice in Canada: Situating the Practice of Forced Birth Evaluation as a Tool of Modern Colonialism.

Participants holding a sign that reads “The future is feminist”

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Five Decades of Advancing Women’s Rights

Celebrating the Legacy, Defining the Future

Check out our historical timeline and other aspects of our exciting 50th Anniversary program.

Celebrating the Legacy

Defining the Future

OUR PARTNERS & SUPPORTS

Stay current on law reform initiatives impacting substantive equality and the realization of human rights for all women.

Stay current on law reform initiatives impacting substantive equality and the realization of human rights for all women.

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