LEAF December Newsletter

December 2020 Newsletter

It’s been a busy fall at LEAF! In November, we officially launched our new website and branding after providing a sneak peek in our last newsletter. We successfully hosted our first virtual 3-day symposium, Gender Justice Now, as part of the Feminist Strategic Litigation Project. We hosted our first two virtual panels in our Personhood Speaker Series.

We also celebrated a significant judgment from the Supreme Court of Canada on substantive equality rights of women with the release of Fraser v. Canada (Attorney General). In November, we made two appearances at the Supreme Court of Canada, one of which led to an important win for women and girls with disabilities!

Thank you for your continued support – we couldn’t do any of this without you!

In this newsletter, we:

discuss updates on LEAF’s leadership;
introduce LEAF’s new website & 2019/2020 Annual Report;
share updates on the Feminist Strategic Litigation Project, including the Gender Justice Now Symposium;
discuss LEAF’s litigation activities;
share details of our Personhood Speaker Series;
highlight LEAF’s recent media appearances; and
provide updates from LEAF’s staff, including what we’re reading, listening to, and watching!

Update on LEAF Leadership

LEAF’s Executive Director and General Counsel, Megan Stephens, has announced she will be stepping down from her role in January 2021. We are extremely grateful to her for her dedication and hard work over the last 19 months. Thank you, Megan!

LEAF’s Board of Directors has begun its search for a new Executive Director and General Counsel and Megan will continue to support the work of the LEAF team after her term ends to help ensure a smooth transition for her successor. Read the full statement from Gillian Hnatiw, our Board Chair.

LEAF is excited to announce that Brea Hutchinson will be joining the staff team in the newly created role of Director of Operations. Brea joins LEAF after holding the position of Executive Director at the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston.

The new position will be an important piece of the LEAF leadership team, supporting the work of the Executive Director and General Counsel and will drive LEAF’s new 2020 strategic objectives.

Brea will take up her new duties on January 4 2021. LEAF looks forward to the knowledge, experience and insights Brea will bring to advancing our mission.

The Substantive Equality Bulletin

Fraser v. Canada (Attorney General)

On October 16, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada released a significant judgment in this case about former female RCMP officers who were also caregivers. This decision advances women’s substantive equality by recognizing the impact of the double burden women face – as employees and caregivers.

“The Court’s frequent referencing of the works of feminist scholars and lawyers, many of whom have served on LEAF’s case committees, our board, or as our counsel in past cases, is a wonderful testament to the amazing advocates in LEAF’s network,” says Megan Stephens, LEAF’s Executive Director and General Counsel.

Colucci v. Colucci

On November 4, 2020, LEAF and West Coast LEAF intervened in this case before the Supreme Court of Canada, to highlight the social reality that child support in Canada is chronically underpaid and overwhelmingly gendered. LEAF and West Coast LEAF also proposed a framework for deciding applications to retroactively modify child support orders that will account for these social realities.

R. v. Slatter

On November 6, 2020, the coalition consisting of LEAF, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN) and ARCH Disability Law Centre (ARCH) appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada to intervene in this case where a woman labelled with intellectual disabilities disclosed sexual assault.

The LEAF-DAWN-ARCH coalition is pleased that the Court adopted the key points advanced in its intervention, highlighting how “[o]ver-reliance on generalities can perpetuate harmful myths and stereotypes about individuals with disabilities.”

Jackson Estate v. Young

In November 2020, Bill Young filed a notice of discontinuance in this appeal, as he was unable to cover the costs associated with the appeal process. LEAF’s proposed intervention would have discussed how limiting the applicability of legislation governing intestate succession (when someone dies without a will) only to married spouses has an adverse impact on women’s socioeconomic equality.

The discontinuance underscores the very real barriers to access to justice that exist for those with limited means.

News From the National Office

LEAF's New Website

We are excited to share our new website with you! Check it out at: http://www.leaf.ca

Many thanks to Nicole Biros-Bolton & the team at Affinity Bridge for making our new site possible!

2019/2020 Annual Report

View our 2019/2020 Annual Report for updates on our work and what we’ve accomplished together in the last year. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, and community partners for your ongoing support of LEAF!

Feminist Strategic Litigation Project Update

LEAF’s Project Director Kat Owens led a year-long research and consultation process exploring how we understand and evaluate the impact of feminist strategic litigation. Check out her report – “This Case is About Feminism: Assessing the Impact of Feminist Strategic Litigation”.

To learn more about the impact of LEAF’s past work, check out these case studies examining LEAF’s work in three important areas:

LEAF and Consent Law

LEAF and Abortion Access in PEI

LEAF and Income Assistance

Events Update

Gender Justice Now Symposium

LEAF’s Gender Justice Now symposium virtually brought together over 80 feminist activists, front-line service providers, lawyers, and academics to discuss law and gender justice. It was an inspiring and invigorating three days, and we are excited to continue working and learning together!

You can watch recordings of our three symposium panels on intersectionality, Indigenous rights, and opportunities for law and gender justice.

Personhood Speaker Series

LEAF's Personhood Speaker Series will continue in the New Year with our third panel on reproductive justice, featuring Alisa Lombard, Hadiya Roderique, and more! Stay tuned for more information.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets to support our series so far! The funds raised will continue to support our work to advance substantive gender equality in Canada.

LEAF in the Media

LEAF-DAWN-ARCH's co-counsel Suzan Fraser was interviewed by the Globe and Mail where she discussed the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in R. v. Slatter.

Suzan also appeared on CBC’s As It Happens to discuss R. v. Slatter. (Starting at 52:30).

Our other LEAF-DAWN-ARCH co-counsel Kerri Joffe was interviewed by Canadian Lawyer Magazine about R. v. Slatter.

Featured Staff: April Leather

We asked April Leather, our Office Coordinator, about her responsibilities at LEAF, her experience coordinating LEAF’s first virtual symposium, and what she likes to do in her spare time.

What do you do at LEAF?

I coordinate the day-to-day overall operations at LEAF, and support staff where needed. As such, I dabble in a bit of everything – whether it’s finance, event planning, staff on-boarding, branch relations, etc.

At LEAF, we’re always developing new skills, and so with the launch of our new website, I look forward to learning more about WordPress’s back-end!

You were a coordinator for the recent LEAF symposium, Gender Justice Now. What was it like to organize a virtual symposium?

At first, the thought of hosting a 3-day symposium – virtually at that – was completely overwhelming! Luckily, we had a passionate team and wonderful facilitators at NeOlé who walked us through the process.

One of the challenges of a virtual symposium was addressing the inevitable “Zoom fatigue” and how to lessen it. It was interesting to learn about the various techniques used to keep attendees engaged through interactive activities and fun icebreakers.

What’s your favorite thing about working at LEAF?

The people! It’s an organization filled with such hardworking and insightful minds, and it's an honour to be able to collaborate with them.

As a small organization, each member of LEAF is an integral part of the decision-making process, and it’s a great feeling seeing my recommendations and ideas come to life, an experience I'm not sure I would have gotten from a larger organization.

When you’re not working, what do you do for fun?

I love to read! I’m trying (but failing miserably) to reach my goal of reading one book a month. I’m also learning to sew, so I’m always looking for small DIY projects around the house to practice, like making curtains or pillowcases.

Looking for quality cultural content during the holidays? Here are some recommendations from LEAF staff:

Books:

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot (by Mikki Kendall) This book provides an important critique of mainstream feminism and its ongoing failures to adopt a truly intersectional approach. (Kat’s recommendation)

Podcasts:

While Strict Scrutiny bills itself as a podcast about "the United States Supreme Court and the legal culture that surrounds it", it is much more than that. Its hosts are three whip smart US law professors (Leah Litman, Melissa Murray, and Kate Shaw), who are also women, mothers, and self-professed fans of celebrity gossip. They bring a refreshing focus on the contributions of women and people of colour to their SCOTUS reporting. (Megan S’s recommendation)

Sandy & Nora Talk Politics (by Sandy Hudson and Nora Loreto) - Listen to Sandy, the founder of Black Lives Matter – Toronto and Vice-Chair at the Black Legal Action Centre, and Nora, a writer, musician and community organizer based in Québec City, talk about the pressing political issues happening right now with wit and incisive clarity. (Cee’s recommendation)

Films:

Shirkers (directed by Sandi Tan) This Sundance-winning documentary tells the story of a group of Singapore-based young women who came together to make an arthouse film, and the ensuing mystery that emerges when their mentor figure disappears with the footage. (available on Netflix – Rosel's recommendation)

Dark Waters (directed by Todd Haynes) This movie tells the true story of American lawyer Robert Bilott’s case against the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont after they contaminated a small town with unregulated chemicals. (Available on Crave – Kat’s recommendation)

Music:

Chrysalia (album by Eve Parker Finley) - Also Cool Mag writes that Eve Parker Finley’s blends of classical, electronic, ambient, indie pop, and folk music create safe spaces for listeners to reconcile with their emotions - and maybe even with their own transformations (Cee's recommendation)

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