Category Archives: Commentary

McIvor v. Canada 2018

By Patrick Clark | Published: June 5, 2018

In the ongoing McIvor versus Canada case, these are the latest submissions from Canada, and Sharon McIvor. As of May 2018: Canada’s submissions Sharon McIvor’s submissions For reference: (Snippet from the initial entry, posted: August 19, 2011) For decades Aboriginal women in Canada have sought justice in the courts and remedial action by legislators in […]

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Together for Women’s Security

By phrc | Published: October 7, 2012

Remarks from Shelagh Day at a conference convened by the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean: “Together for Women’s Security”, September 9, 10, 2010. Remarks of Shelagh Day – Challenges and Strategies

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McIvor v. Canada

By phrc | Published: August 19, 2011

For decades Aboriginal women in Canada have sought justice in the courts and remedial action by legislators in an effort to bring an end to the sex discrimination in the status registration provisions of the Indian Act, but they have not yet succeeded in securing full recognition of their rights.  Sharon McIvor, an indigenous woman […]

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Access to Justice at Issue in R v. Caron

By phrc | Published: May 30, 2011

The Poverty and Human Rights Centre intervened as a member of the Equality Rights Coalition in the Supreme Court of Canada case R v. Caron 2011 SCC 5.  The other members of the coalition were the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, the Charter Committee on Poverty Issues and the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Majority embraces stereotype of the poor (December 2002)

By phrc | Published: December 1, 2002

Majority Embraces Stereotype of Poor by Shelagh Day The majority decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in last week’s welfare rights case, Gosselin v Quebec, is a disturbing one. Five judges endorsed a Quebec scheme that consigned thousands of 18 to 30 year old welfare recipients to extreme poverty, and found that it did […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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