Drafted in partnership with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights In the devastating wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in the United States, Canadians are wondering how we can protect abortion rights in Canada. Abortion is regulated differently in Canada. It is an insured health service and so, the Canada…
Introducing our organizational strategic plan, Sprint to 50, feels like a very special and monumentous occasion for all of us at The National Association of Women and the Law! Sprint to 50 acts as our guiding star for the next three years, setting out the course for the organization, which will bring us to our…
by Averi Winn, Loran Scholar Summer Intern Young people in Canada participate extensively in law reform—even though they may not realize it! Through their activism, they can, and do, influence lawmakers in many ways. I started my law reform work in climate change at 16 years old. At the time, I was not even aware…
Why We Don’t Need A New Abortion Law In Canada Drafted in partnership with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe V. Wade, Canadians may be wondering how we can better protect our right to abortion in Canada. While introducing laws may seem like an appealing option,…
The Senate of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1A 0A4 June 21, 2022 Dear Honourable Senators: Re: Bill C-28 – Self-Induced Extreme Intoxication I write on behalf of the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL). Founded in 1974, NAWL is a feminist organization that promotes the equality rights of…
For Immediate Release – Algonquin Annishnaabeg Territory/Ottawa, ON – On Friday, June 17th, Justice Minister David Lametti tabled Bill C-28, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (self-induced extreme intoxication). This Bill was introduced in response to a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision striking s. 33.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada leaving a…
NAWL is proud to be a part of the Coalition for Environmental Rights. Together, we call on the Senate and the Senate Select Committee to stand up for the rights of communities and families and remove any qualifying language to the right to a healthy environment from Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act. …
The Honourable Marco Mendicino, P.C., M.P. Minister of Public Safety The Honourable Marci Ien, P.C., M.P. Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Minister Mendicino and Minister Ien, Re Firearms Controls and Violence Against Women Since the Montreal massacre, women’s groups across Canada…
For Immediate Release – Algonquin Anishinaabeg Territory/Ottawa, ON – The recently leaked draft majority decision of the United States Supreme Court reveals that the Court is poised to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. This is deeply concerning – for women in America, and indeed, here in Canada. In 1973, the US Supreme…
The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) submitted February 24, 2022 makes three recommendations in their written submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for sustained and adequate funding of the Canadian movement for women’s and gender equality. The recommendations include sustained core funding to women’s and gender equality organizations; multi-year…
BY MARTHA JACKMAN CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL Published February 22, 2022 Read original Opinion article here. What are we to make of the fact that Canadian protesters in front of Parliament and before the courts are demanding their U.S. constitutional rights? Supporters of arrested Ottawa truckers complained on Twitter that police failed to read…
Opinion published by the Ottawa Citizen on January 7, 2022. Read full article here. It has been long overdue. Conversion therapy practice is now a criminal offence. It only took Parliament three tries to pass the Bill — I guess third time’s the charm. But let us not get lost in this big victory. More…
Opinion published by Toronto Star on January 6, 2022. Read full article here. Pregnant Indigenous women are being forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to give birth alone and away from their communities. Health Canada has a birth evacuation policy that requires them to take planes, buses, boats, helicopters, taxis, or even snow machines two to four weeks before…
KERRI A. FROC AND ELIZABETH A. SHEEHY CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL PUBLISHED JANUARY 4, 2022 Read original Opinion article here. Three significant cases have arrived for consideration at the Supreme Court of Canada, each challenging Section 33.1 of the Criminal Code. That section, added by the federal government in 1995, addresses the “fault” element for crimes of violence. The…
Opinion article published by the Ottawa Citizen on December 3, 2021. Read the full article here. In this opinion article on mental health written by Yasmin Khaliq in her Feminist Law Reform class at the University of Ottawa taught by Professor Martha Jackman – she addresses the inadequate mental health services in Canada and the…
Read the media release. We, the undersigned, call on all Parliamentarians to affirm the inherent dignity and human rights of all Canadians, including those from the 2SLGBTQI+community, to live free from discrimination, prejudice, and harm. We call on the 44th session of the Canadian Parliament to take immediate action to prohibit all forms of conversion…
PEI Legislative Assembly 165 Richmond St. Charlottetown, PEI C1A 1J1 Dear Members of the P.E.I. Legislative Assembly: Re: Letter of Support for Proposed Non-Disclosure Agreements Act The National Association of Women and the Law is proud to support MLA Lynne Lund’s proposed Non-Disclosure Agreements Act. We thank you for your consideration of this very important…
Honourable Senators, The National Association of Women and the Law is a not-for-profit feminist organization that promotes the equality rights of women, in all their diversity, through legal education, research and law reform advocacy. We are writing to voice our support for Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), as it…
NAWL’s NSC chair Martha Jackman, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Ottawa, spoke with Toronto Star reporter Tonda MacCharles, on Maumud Jamal’s appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada. Jackman said, it’s clear Jamal is “highly qualified as a jurist, as a scholar” and his appointment “brings a level of diversity to the court that was…
The Honourable Carolyn Bennet, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services Government of Canada Dear Ministers, On behalf of national, regional and local gender justice and human rights organizations, we are in solidarity with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation and all First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples and…
