Our 3 Key Priority Areas

Ending Violence Against Women

Violence against women and girls remains a critical issue in Canada and one that requires urgent and ongoing action. All analysis of the legislative framework required to prevent and respond to violence against women (VAW) must be framed to also recognize and redress women’s poverty and economic insecurity, which structures and shapes women’s experiences of violence, especially those of groups of women that are particularly vulnerable to VAW in its many forms.  

Recognizing the historic and current context is essential to inform this analysis, particularly in relation to colonialism and the ongoing impacts of colonialism, including the impact on violence against Indigenous women. Indigenous peoples’ history and contributions must be clearly and overtly connected to our collective commitment to bring about justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).  

Reproductive Rights

The direct relationship between reproductive rights and women’s equality, and the precarity of women’s gains in this area, are among the reasons why reproductive rights continues to be a key focus of NAWL’s feminist advocacy. 

While freedom of choice is a fundamental right in Canada, equal access to safe abortions for all women and anyone who can be pregnant, is still far from a reality in Canada. NAWL will continue to be laser-focused on assuring that reproductive rights in Canada remain at the forefront of our law reform agenda.  

• Truths: About Women's Equality Rights and the Canada Summer Jobs Program Attestation

Women's Rights & the Climate Crisis

“Gender inequality coupled with the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time” – United Nations. 

The climate crisis is a systemic crisis with intersecting economic, social, political, and geographical challenges all disproportionately affecting women, particularly Indigenous, marginalized, and racialized women. Effective climate action requires an intersectional and feminist approach. As the Canadian government moves towards responding to the climate crisis, NAWL will advocate for an intersectional feminist and gender analysis to be applied to new legislation, ensuring it recognizes and addresses the existing gender inequalities and unique threats posed by the climate crisis to women’s livelihoods, health, and safety.