Proposed resolutions focus on abortion rights and protections for the gender diverse.
These will be among the resolutions up for debate at the CBA annual general meeting.
Under a proposed resolution, the CBA would oppose any efforts to restrict abortion rights and access in Canada and commit to working with governments and other stakeholders to expand abortion access across Canada.
The text notes that despite existing legal protections for abortion care, members of “marginalized communities face disproportionate barriers to abortion access, and other threats to abortion rights exist within Canada.”
According to the proposed resolution, moved by Jennifer Taylor, past chair of the Women Lawyers Forum on behalf of WLF, the Access to Justice Subcommittee, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance, and the Equality Subcommittee, “abortion rights and access are inextricably tied to gender equity and justice, and fit squarely within the CBA’s mission to promote equity in the justice system.”
Have your say on the discussion board.
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The CBA’s Sexual and Gender Alliance is proposing a resolution calling on the association to take several measures to confront systemic discrimination, harassment and violence against 2STNBGD+ people.
Prompting the call is an unprecedented surge in hate crimes targeting individuals from sexual and gender-diverse communities. The proposed resolution, moved by Lee Nevens, member-at-large of SAGDA, notes that failure to address these issues can have devastating consequences by continuing to destroy the lives of 2SLGBTQI+ people.
It also underscores the broader impact of inaction, stating that discrimination and violence “undermine the rule of law, devalue the human rights of all people, and inhibit economic development and the full contribution of all members of society.”
Concretely, the proposed resolution urges the CBA to implement the recommendations from its Access to Justice for Trans People, work with governments to support and adopt laws making it a discriminatory practice to communicate or cause to be communicated hate speech that’s likely to foment detestation or vilification, and work to develop and implement a national strategy to protect the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people and combat transphobia and hate crimes.
Have your say on the discussion board.
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Cathy Tempesta, chair of the Child and Youth Law Section, is moving a resolution urging the CBA to “condemn the use of the notwithstanding clause to enforce policies that force teachers to inform parents if a child wishes to be referred to by a different name or pronouns.”
It also calls on the CBA to advocate for the repeal of federal, provincial and territorial “policies that deny appropriate protections, safety and dignity” for two-spirit, transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children and youth, “including policies that mandate disclosure of identities or exploration without the student’s consent.”
It emphasizes the importance of inclusive school policies, highlighting the need to protect and promote the well-being and autonomy of gender-diverse students who are “at heightened risk of bullying, harassment, violence and rejection from peers and family members, contributing to increased levels of depression, suicidality, and homelessness.”
Have your say on the discussion board.
