Queen's Law to host groundbreaking feminist legal workshop

Photo By Aimee Burtch

Professors Kathleen Lahey and Bita Amani, organizers of the workshop on "Women, Equality, and Fiscal Policy: Gender Analysis of Taxes,  Spending, and Budgets" being held at Queen's University on March 7,  2009.

Fiscal equality for women in Canada has been on the decline, and Queen's Law Professors Kathleen Lahey and Bita Amani, coordinators of Feminist Legal Studies Queen's, are determined to raise awareness and help Canadians understand why.  On March 7, 2009, they will be launching "Women, Equality, and Fiscal Policy: Gender Analysis of Taxes, Spending, and Budgets," the first annual workshop dedicated to exploring and addressing these issues.      

The full-day workshop will explore how women can best claim their rights to fiscal equality.  The day is divided into four sessions, with papers covering topics such as "Why Budgets and Taxes are not Gender-Neutral, and What They Cost Women," and "The Gender Effects of Environmental Taxes - A Look at Carbon Taxes."      

"[We want] to expand the understanding of how seemingly gender-neutral provisions like income tax laws, unemployment insurance schemes, and budgetary decisions actually affect women very differently than they do men," said Lahey.      

To explore these issues, Lahey and Amani gathered a group of experts in law, economics, government agencies and non-governmental organizations.  The opening presentation will be made by Louise Langevin, the Claire-Bonenfant Research Chair on the Status of Women at Laval University, who sat on the federal Expert Panel on Equality.  Another notable speaker is Armine Yalnizyan, a senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, who pioneered the gender impact analysis of budgetary allocations and federal-provincial funding agreements.    

"Every one of the speakers at this workshop is a leader in this area of equality work in Canada," said Lahey.  "Canada is fortunate in having a large number of experts in fiscal policy and gender/poverty analysis who have already done a staggering amount of work on these issues.  Expanded understanding of these issues will help Canadians hold politicians accountable for the impact of their inaction in this area.

"For the workshop agenda and to register, see http://femlaw.queensu.ca.proxy.queensu.ca/events/equalityandfiscalpolicy.html The workshop, which is funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario and Queen's Law, is free of charge for Queen's University students, faculty and staff, as well as members of other groups.  Coffee and lunch will be provided to those who have pre-registered.