FAFIA's Submission to the United Nation's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

This submission is about the social and economic inequality of racialized women in Canada, in particular First Nations women, Black women or African-Canadian women, women of colour, immigrant and refugee women. As a broad alliance of women’s organizations, FAFIA is committed to advancing the human rights of all women, and to combating racism and racist practices in Canada. The particular conditions and experiences of women who experience racism and racial discrimination are too often overlooked, both in accounts of the situation of women and in accounts of the situation of ‘racial minorities.’
Submission of the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

On the occasion of its review of Canada’s 17th and 18th periodic reports under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination

February 2007

Acknowledgements

This submission was prepared for the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action with assistance from Shelagh Day and the Social Rights Accountability Project, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) is an alliance of more than eighty Canadian women’s organizations founded in February 1999. One of the central goals of FAFIA is to ensure that Canadian governments respect, protect and fulfill the commitments to women that they have made under international human rights treaties and agreements, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination.

This submission is about the social and economic inequality of racialized women in Canada, in particular First Nations women, Black women or African-Canadian women, women of colour, immigrant and refugee women. As a broad alliance of women’s organizations, FAFIA is committed to advancing the human rights of all women, and to combating racism and racist practices in Canada. The particular conditions and experiences of women who experience racism and racial discrimination are too often overlooked, both in accounts of the situation of women and in accounts of the situation of ‘racial minorities.’

Women who experience the combined effects of race and sex discrimination are particularly disadvantaged. In Canada they live in poorer social and economic conditions than other women and than their male counterparts. Despite Canada’s wealth and apparent commitment to human rights, their conditions are not improving. We hope to offer assistance to the Committee, by highlighting some steps that are necessary to advance the human rights of racialized and immigrant women in Canada.

Being able to use rights is especially important to women in Canada who are socially and economically disadvantaged by sex and race discrimination. Consequently, as an urgent matter, FAFIA wishes to bring to the attention of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, that the Government of Canada recently decided to cancel the Court Challenges Program. For Canadian women, the Court Challenges Program has provided the only access to the use of constitutional equality rights to challenge race and sex discrimination. The loss of this Program means that the constitutional right to equality is without practical meaning, except for those who are wealthy. The funding of the Court Challenges Program is slated to end on March 31, 2007. If it does, the right to equality will no longer be accessible to those who need it most.

To download the full report click here:
FAFIA's CERD Submission.pdf
FAFIA's CERD Submission.doc

To download the African Canadian Legal Aid Clinic's Submission to CERD click here:
ACLC's CERD Submission.pdf

To download Amnesty International's Submission to CERD click here:
Amnesty's CERD Submission.pdf

To view CERD's Recommendations please go to:
Recommendations

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) has produced a report on the review of Canada’s 17th and 18th periodic reports under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. The report highlights the main issues addressed by the Committee and its key recommendations. You can dowload a copy of this report here:
ISHR Report.pdf