Dear John,

LEAF’s work in 2020 was only possible with the generous support of our donors and volunteers! We hope that you’ll continue to support our work to advance substantive gender equality in Canada by making a donation today.

Thanks to you, our involvement in court cases resulted in several victories that have advanced the rights of women and girls in 2020. We are proud of our work this year, including:  

R. v. Sharma  

In July, we celebrated the decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in R. v. Sharma, a case in which LEAF intervened jointly with The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights. The Court struck down sections of the Criminal Code that eliminated the possibility of conditional sentences (a community-based alternative to a prison sentence) for certain offences, finding this infringed Ms. Sharma’s equality rights. This judgment will serve as a small step towards reducing the overincarceration of Indigenous people – in particular, Indigenous women. 

Fraser v. Canada (A.G.) 

In October, the Supreme Court of Canada released a significant judgment in Fraser v. Canada, concerning equal access to pension benefits for female Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers with caregiving responsibilities. The Supreme Court of Canada not only affirmed women’s right to equal pension benefits, but also provided a much-needed roadmap for future cases involving systemic discrimination and substantive equality. 

R. v. Slatter 

In November, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a unanimous ruling in R v. Slatter, a case which LEAF intervened jointly with DAWN and ARCH. The Court restored the sexual assault conviction for the accused, recognizing that generalizations and stereotypes about women with disabilities are “inimical” to the truth-finding process of a sexual assault trial.  

With your support, we will continue to fight in 2021 on key issues affecting women and girls. Please help us by making a donation today!