Tag: British Columbia

Take The Welfare Time Limit Off the Books

By phrc | Published: July 2, 2004
The Government of British Columbia now says that, over the next year, only 339 people will be affected by the 24-month time limit on welfare––the rule intended to limit “employable” welfare recipients to two-years of support during any five year period. On Friday, the Government created a new exemption––the 25th. Now those who follow their employment [...]
Posted in Commentary | Also tagged |

Letter to the Prime Minister Paul Martin and Premier Gordon Campbell regarding the human rights obligations of federal and provincial governments with respect to social assistance, endorsed by 137 organizations (February 2004)

By phrc | Published: February 5, 2004
A letter written to Prime Minister Paul Martin and Premier Gordon Campbell asking them to act immediately, together and separately, to ensure that legislation which imposes a twenty-four month time limit on eligibility for welfare in B.C. is rescinded before April 1, 2004, and that no similar provision is implemented in B.C. or any other province in future. act immediately, [...]
Posted in Government Submissions | Also tagged , , |

The Right to Social Assistance: 14 Questions and Answers (October 2003)

By phrc | Published: October 1, 2003
British Columbia is the only province in Canada to place a time limit on welfare eligibility. From diverse perspectives, many people are concerned about the harmful results of this harsh and unprecedented new rule. This report is a response to numerous requests that the Poverty and Human Rights Project has received from concerned groups and individuals for an analysis of [...]
Posted in Law Sheets | Also tagged , , , |

Moving Forward on Women’s Equality, Brief to the Standing Committee on Finance Pre-Budget Consultation (September 2003)

By phrc | Published: September 29, 2003
The B.C. CEDAW Group submits that the federal government, when considering spending priorities, must take into account 1) the negative impact on women of recent cuts and changes to social programs and services made in the Province of British The B.C. CEDAW Group’s submission to the Standing Committee on Finance, outlining that the federal government, when considering spending priorities, [...]
Posted in Government Submissions | Also tagged , , |

UN singles out BC government on women’s rights (March 2003)

By phrc | Published: March 1, 2003
B.C. is not meeting its obligations to women under international human rights law. That was the clear message of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in comments issued recently in New York City. The U.N. Committee singled out the province of British Columbia for criticism in its review of Canada’s compliance with the United [...]
Posted in Commentary | Also tagged , , , |

B.C. CEDAW Report: British Columbia Moves Backwards on Women’s Equality

By phrc | Published: January 23, 2003
B.C. CEDAW Report: British Columbia Moves Backwards on Women’s Equality, prepared by the Poverty and Human Rights Project for 12 women’s and anti-poverty organizations in British Columbia, submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the occasion of the review of Canada’s 5th report on its compliance with the [...]
Posted in UN Submissions | Also tagged , , , |

Who’s in contempt over the Woodward’s squat? (November 2002)

By phrc | Published: November 1, 2002
the BC Housing Corporation dropped proceedings against the 54 Woodwards squatters charged in October with contempt of court for occupying a publicly-owned and vacant building. The Corporation seems to have realized that continuing the contempt proceedings against the “Woodwards 54” would have increased the public’s sympathy for the protesters, and further underlined the contempt that the provincial government is guilty [...]
Posted in Commentary | Also tagged , , , |

Proposed human rights legislation gets failing grade (September 2002)

By phrc | Published: September 1, 2002
For the second time in twenty years, the Government of British Columbia has decided to abolish its Human Rights Commission. If the draft legislation set out in Bill 53 passes, the Commission will be erased again, this time in the name of providing British Columbians with a new, more efficient “direct access” model of human rights enforcement. For the second [...]
Posted in Commentary | Also tagged , |

Human rights plunge into the past (April 2002)

By phrc | Published: April 1, 2002
Human rights in British Columbia may be about to plunge backwards by twenty years. In 1983 Bill Bennett abolished the Human Rights Commission, fired all the Commissioners and staff, and narrowed human rights legislation in one sweeping assault. Though a little slower off the mark, the current government seems poised to substantially weaken the province’s human rights institutions and [...]
Posted in Commentary | Also tagged , |