A Woman's Place in Law - Thursday, April 14, 2022

Framing the launch of History Unfinished, this event made references to women’s suffrage, the Persons Case, and explored Section15 and Section 28 in the Charter of Rights and the Constitution Act of 1982. Topics included landmark cases that were made possible by the Court Challenges Program and led by the Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF). Sponsored by the National Association of Women and the Lawn (NAWL) and the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women.

Guest speakers:

​

The Hon. Judy Erola, former Minister responsible for the Status of Women, 1980-1984 –

Judy Erola is a former Canadian politician who represented the riding of Nickel Belt in the House of Commons of Canada from 1980 to 1984. In September 1981, Erola was given the position of Minister responsible for the Status of Women alongside her existing duties as Minister of Mines. She was the first woman to be named to that position, which had previously been held by Lloyd Axworthy. 

In this role, she fought to protect Section Twenty-eight of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a section of the then-proposed Constitution Act, 1982 which guaranteed the gender equality rights of men and women, against attempts by some provinces to quash the provision. She also supported efforts to improve maternity leave pay for women, attempts to toughen federal laws against domestic violence, reforms to the Indian Act which would improve the rights of indigenous women marrying non-indigenous men, reforms to the organizational structure of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, and stricter policies against the use of gender stereotypes in government communications.

​

Mary Eberts, Constitutional Lawyer

Mary Eberts is a trailblazing lawyer and human rights advocate. She has strengthened equality rights of women and girls under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms through her work with the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and as the co-founder of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. She was a key figure in the development and regulation of midwifery in Ontario and has served as litigation counsel—often pro bono—to the Native Women’s Association of Canada for more than 25 years.

Kerri A. Froc, Lawyer, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of New Brunswick and Chair, National Association of Women and the Law.

Kerri Froc is writing a book tentatively titled, “The Gendered Constitution.” It concerns gender equality in Canadian constitutional law. Before completing her Ph.D., Dr. Froc spent 18 years as a lawyer, including 10 years working as a staff lawyer for the Canadian Bar Association (CBA).  While at the CBA, she worked on issues concerning diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and successfully lobbied for governmental benefits to be paid for the self-employed during parental leave.  She is a Board member of the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity, as well as a member of the Saskatchewan (1997) and New Brunswick (2020) bars.