Canada's CEDAW Review
This past October 2008 WHEN made a submission to the review of Canada by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (UN CEDAW). WHEN both participated in the National submission as well as the British Columbia submission.
A WHEN representative was also able to attend Canada`s review in Geneva to help ensure women`s housing needs were addressed.
The UN CEDAW committees concluding observations to Canada have included the need for a National Housing Strategy reflective and inclusive of the needs of women.
- To view the concluding observations made to Canada by the UN CEDAW committee please follow the link;
UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
In May 2006, WHEN made a submission to the review of Canada by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN CESCR).
The UN CESCR 2006 Concluding Observations on Canada contain strongly-worded criticisms and recommendations that reflect the information that WHEN provided about women's homelessness, poverty and housing disadvantage.
This Committee regularly reviews all countries that have signed the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In the last report on Canada in 1998, the UN CESCR was very critical of Canada 's failure to prevent homelessness, and its high poverty rates among women, especially single mothers. At that time, CESCR recommended changes to federal income support policies, and federal reinvestment in housing, to address poverty and homelessness in Canada.