Rewriting Equality: Report back from the Women’s Court of Canada conference

Women from across the country descended on two Toronto law schools last week for the release of the first-ever judgments by Canada’s newest court – the Women’s Court of Canada.

The brainchild of several feminist law scholars and practitioners, the Women’s Court began as a response to concerns about several trends in the Supreme Court’s equality jurisprudence. (For more on the the evolution of the Women’s Court, read organizer Diane Marjury’s article here.) Organizers’ efforts culminated last week in a conference to mark the release of release of six judgments – alternatives to the Supreme Court’s holdings in Symes v. Canada, Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education, Native Women’s Association of Canada v. Canada, Gosselin v. Quebec, and Newfoundland v. NAPE.

All six judgments appear in the most recent edition of the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law. TheCourt.ca is pleased to announce that the judgments will also be available soon for download from this site. Stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, we are pleased to provide you with video from last week’s conference. Hosted jointly by Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Rewriting Equality featured symposia on all six judgments, as well as panel discussions on issues relevant to the work of the Women’s Court. The following video is drawn from one of these panels. Titled “Living up to the Charter: Government Accountability in the Court Room,” the panel explored government litigation practices, and the extent to which those practices should be influenced by the Charter.

(Note: You may also view this event in a separate Windows Media Player window by clicking here.)