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 Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Committee is concerned about the disproportionately negative impact on women and girls of a number of recent changes in British Columbia, including: funding cuts to legal aid and welfare assistance; narrowed eligibility rules for welfare; the elimination of the freestanding Ministry of Women’s Equality; the abolition of the independent Human Rights Commission; the closing of a number of courthouses; cuts in support programmes for victims of domestic violence; and proposed changes regarding prosecution of domestic violence.

UN Singles Out B.C. Government on Women’s Rights

This is a moment in Canadian political history when government commitment to social programs is at a low ebb. Frequently, governments defend their decision-making in the area of social programs on the basis of cost saving. Among progressives, one common mode of social policy critique is to demonstrate that the economic goals that government says it is interested in will not, in fact, be served by its legislative agenda. It can be and has been shown that some cuts to social programs do not result in cost saving at all, while others amount to cost shifting to individuals. It can be very powerful. Being able to effectively engage one’s opposition on its own terms can be important in a debate.

What Do Rights Have To Do With It? (May 2002)

Submission to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (February 2002)