Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action

The Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA), a national alliance of forty Canadian women's equality- seeking organizations, submitted a report for the Committee's review of Canada's sixth and seventh periodic reports on the implementation of CEDAW. The report asserts that the Government of Canada has failed to comply with the Committee's 2003 recommendations. FAFIA cites, inter alia, the Canadian government's lack of political will and a dearth of institutional spaces in government for review and engagement with CEDAW recommendations as contributing factors

The coalition known as the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) was founded in 1999 to monitor Canada's implementation of its human rights commitments to women. This toolkit was designed for coalition members, policy-makers and parliamentarians. The aim is to help these groups and individuals to understand the intricacies of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and show how they can take action to ensure UN recommendations are implemented at all levels of government.

This report was prepared for the Beijing + 10 global conference marking ten years since the adoption of the Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The report analyzes the measures the Canadian government has taken to reach the goals outlined in the Platform for Action. Specifically, it examines the discrimination experienced by Aboriginal women in the operation of the justice system. The report argues that the lack of protection for Aboriginal women in Canadian law leads to violations of Canada's international human rights obligations.

This report addresses the accountability of the Canadian government to the commitments made under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The report notes the particular vulnerability of immigrant and refugee women and critiques amendments to immigration legislation under Bill C-11 as failing to fully recognize Canada's international legal obligations to protect these women. The report reviews specific categories of immigrants and identifies areas in which the legislation has negative impacts upon women. The report also

This document identifies and analyzes some of the major problems with Canada's National Response to the UN Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. The Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) indicates where Canada includes programs that have been cut back, exaggerates its efforts, lists initiatives that it has no intention of implementing, omits key facts, and makes claims that are misleading or simply un1. Part two examines structural problems in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action.