About us
National Association of Women and the Law
Since our founding at a conference held at the University of Windsor law school in 1974, the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) has worked on its own and in collaboration with others to advance feminist law reform in Canada. We’re proud to have had a major role in achieving significant milestones for Canadian women’s equality, and for our feminist legal analysis and advocacy to have impacted countless laws and policies across the country — most notably in relation to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Sections 15 and 28 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Today, we continue to write briefs and discussions papers and appear before Parliamentary and Senate committees, and meet with decision makers to influence the law making process on current and emerging feminist law reform priorities. Working with feminist lawyers, students, service providers, academics, activists and allies, we are (re)building a feminist law reform network and increasing the capacities of women to engage in the law making process.
Our History
Our Staff
Tiffany Butler
Executive Director
Tiffany Butler (she/her) is the Executive Director of NAWL. In this role, Tiffany leads and manages all aspects of NAWL’s operations. Prior to joining NAWL, Tiffany led the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Young Lawyers International Program (YLIP) supporting young lawyers from across Canada to gain international professional experience in climate justice, gender equality, human rights and law reform work. Prior to this, Tiffany managed a broad range of access to justice programs, including the University of Calgary’s Pro Bono Students Canada chapter and Calgary Legal Guidance’s Domestic Violence Legal Intervention Program providing survivor-centred legal services to women fleeing intimate partner and family violence. She began her legal career practicing law in specialized community and legal aid clinics providing trauma-informed legal representation to marginalized and vulnerable populations, primarily in the areas of violence against women and youth criminal defence.
Prior to her law career, Tiffany co-founded a snowboarding and skateboarding events production company dedicated to the inclusion and progression of women and girls in those sports. Tiffany has also contributed to the community through her volunteer work with Calgary’s gender-inclusive 100% Skate Club, as a volunteer board member with the Alberta River Surfing Association and currently as a volunteer board member with Les Amis de la Forêt-la-Blanche Ecological Reserve.
Tiffany obtained her law degree from the University of Calgary (2011) and a degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management specializing in Human Rights from Carleton University (2009). She was called to the Alberta Bar in 2012 and the Ontario Bar in 2018. Fluent in English and French, Tiffany has lived and studied across Canada, in Europe, and in Southeast Asia. Tiffany is an avid board sports enthusiast and recently picked up gardening which she enjoys doing with the help of her dog, Katka.
Suzanne Zaccour
Director of Legal Affairs
Suzanne Zaccour is a feminist author, researcher and public speaker. She recently completed her doctoral degree in law at Oxford University, focusing on partner sexual violence. Her research interests include sexual and domestic violence, family law, animal rights, and gender and language. Suzanne is the author of La fabrique du viol (Leméac 2019), a book about sexual violence and rape culture, and is finalizing her next book, titled “Why feminists don’t eat animals”.
Merry Sun
Finance Administrator
Merry Sun (she/her) was a chemical engineer until 2004, when she started studying and working in the accounting field. She received her accounting designation through CGA Ontario in 2012. Ever since, her focus is on providing accounting and finance solutions to small not-for-profit organizations. She enjoys utilizing her experiences acquired in full cycle accounting and finance management, as well as the expertise in payroll and accounting software, to support the work of the NPO sector. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and skiing, and is an excellent badminton player.
Amalie Ascanius
Office Administrator
Amalie Ascanius (she/they) is a self-described ‘social justice warrior’ who is dedicated to making a positive impact in the world. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Amalie holds a bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality Management as well as a bachelor’s degree in Language & International Studies from universities in Denmark. Amalie’s journey has been shaped by their passion for intersectional feminism, recognizing the interconnectedness of various forms of oppression and striving for equality and justice for all. Beyond their advocacy work, Amalie has a profound love for animals and volunteers as a foster, as well as providing a safe and loving home for five rescue animals of their own.
Thaïs Laborde
Director of Communications
Thaïs Laborde (she/her) is a communications professional with more than 12 years of experience working for public and not-for-profit organizations. Born in France, she holds a master’s degree in Public policy and wrote a thesis on integration policies in the European Union. From a young age, she has been passionate about social justice, which has led her to work in the fields of equity, diversity and inclusion, but also culture, health and environment. She started her career as a Communications consultant before joining the Australian embassy in France where she managed digital communications, events and public relations. In 2021, she joined the French NGO Women for Women France whose mission is to support foreign-born people confronted with domestic abuse. In this position, she worked with a network of 30 leading experts to develop an online multilingual resource centre. She moved to Canada in 2023 and joined NAWL as Director of Communications and Development.
Our National Steering Committee
Julia Tétrault-Provencher (she/her) is a lawyer (Quebec Bar) specialized in public international law. Her work primarily focuses on gender-based violence, including sexual and/or reproductive violence, gender equality, non-discrimination as well as the promotion and protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Her legal practice seeks to respect and promote an intersectionnal, victim-centered and trauma-informed approach. She is currently working as a Junior International Lawyer for Global Rights Compliance (GRC) for the Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes Integrated Support Mechanism in Kyiv (Ukraine). Prior to joining GRC, she worked for various non-governmental organizations, including Lawyers without Borders Canada, the International Federation for Human Rights and the Global Survivors Fund.
Julia completed the Advanced Master in Public International Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands (cum laude). She wrote her thesis on the definition of the crime of forced pregnancy as a crime against humanity (Hastings Journal on Gender and the Law, 2022) where she critically analyses the definition of this crime using an intersectional feminist perspective. She completed her Law degree at Laval University (Dean’s Honour List) and was called to the Bar in October 2018. As a feminist lawyer, Julia seeks to continue her journey advocating for the respect of sexual and reproductive health and rights with a focus on menstrual health, the prevention of morbidity related to pregnancies, abortion rights and the specific needs of pregnant persons in detention facilities. Julia joined the NAWL National Steering Committee in 2022.
Prior to her law career, Tiffany co-founded a snowboarding and skateboarding events production company dedicated to the inclusion and progression of women and girls in those sports. Tiffany has also contributed to the community through her volunteer work with Calgary’s gender-inclusive 100% Skate Club, as a volunteer board member with the Alberta River Surfing Association and currently as a volunteer board member with Les Amis de la Forêt-la-Blanche Ecological Reserve.
Tiffany obtained her law degree from the University of Calgary (2011) and a degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management specializing in Human Rights from Carleton University (2009). She was called to the Alberta Bar in 2012 and the Ontario Bar in 2018. Fluent in English and French, Tiffany has lived and studied across Canada, in Europe, and in Southeast Asia. Tiffany is an avid board sports enthusiast and recently picked up gardening which she enjoys doing with the help of her dog, Katka.
Amanda came to NAWL as a summer student on secondment and joined the National Steering Committee in October 2021. Amanda is a labour and employment lawyer based in Ottawa, ON. She is an associate at RavenLaw LLP where her practice focuses on the advancement of human rights for workers and tenants.
During her time at Osgoode, Amanda completed the Feminist Advocacy Clinical Program. Offered in partnership with the Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, the program was comprised of weekly clinic shifts and seminars to help students develop feminist advocacy skills by providing legal assistance to women experiencing intimate partner violence.
Amanda was the 2021 recipient of the Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP Prize for her essay on intimate partner violence within LBGT relationships and was the 2020 recipient of the Mabel Penery French Prize awarded to the student with the highest standing in the course Law, Gender and Equality at Osgoode Hall Law School. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Gender and Women’s Studies from Trent University, a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences from Queen’s University and a diploma in x-ray technology from the Eastern Ontario School of X-Ray Technology. Amanda is bilingual in French.
Kerri A. Froc is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of New Brunswick. She is also writing a book tentatively titled, “The Gendered Constitution.” It concerns gender equality in Canadian constitutional law.
Dr. Froc received her Ph.D. from Queen’s University (2016), her Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa (2009); her Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (1996); and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Regina (1993). Her research interests include sex equality, theories of constitutional interpretation, access to justice, reproductive rights, rights of political representation, and complex rights violations experienced by working women, poor women and racialized and Indigenous women.
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.
Lise Gotell is the Landrex Distinguished Professor in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Alberta where she has taught for the past 25 years. She completed her PhD in Political Science at York University in 1993, after which she held a Social Sciences and Humanities Postdoctoral Award at the Institute for Feminist Legal Studies. Lise is an internationally recognized expert on sexual consent law. She is currently engaged in research projects examining the rise of the rough sex defence and developing strategies to address the sexual assault justice gap for Alberta survivors. Lise has also held a number of academic leadership positions, including Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies, and Vice-Dean and Acting Dean of Arts.
Strongly committed to feminist activism and to the project of feminist law reform, the focus of her academic research and advocacy has been to help shape policy and awareness around violence against women. Her work has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as in law reform initiatives here and in other countries. Lise served on the Board of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund and acted as National Chair between 2016-18, during which time she also contributed to numerous cases committees. Currently, she serves on the Advisory Committee of Courage to Act, helping to develop national strategies to combat campus sexual violence. In 2021, the University of Alberta recognized her public engagement through a Community Scholar Award.
Elizabeth Johannson has a B.A. (Hons.) in Theatre and Drama and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA). This enables her to effortlessly dance between her left brain and right brain in analyzing and navigating the world. She is currently working as a full-time accountant and pursuing part-time graduate studies at the University of Alberta in Gender and Social Justice Studies.
Elizabeth is a passionate advocate for workers rights and spent 6 years as President of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA) at the University of Alberta. During her tenure she spearheaded a successful campaign for her union to affiliate with the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL). Subsequent to affiliation she served on the Executive Council of the AFL. While President of NASA she established a standing committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and a permanent EDI focused seat on the NASA Executive Board. She also coordinated the University-wide commemoration of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women for multiple years. Other experience serving on boards includes serving on the Steering Committee of the Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) and 3 years as Vice-Chair of the Alberta Public Service Pension Plan.
Danica is a recent University of New Brunswick law graduate currently completing her articling at a business law firm in Calgary, AB. As a student leader, Danica took an active role in promoting feminist legal theory at UNB. Danica was the co-president of the UNB Law Feminist Legal Association and the UNB Mental Health and the Law Society and volunteered with Sexual Violence New Brunswick as crisis intervention volunteer. Additionally, Danica has worked closely with the New Brunswick Aboriginal People’s Association as a student researcher for the Looking Out for Each Other project – a community driven initiative dedicated to assisting families of missing Indigenous women and girls. Now, as a junior lawyer, Danica is dedicated to continuing her feminist advocacy and promoting the women’s movement from within the profession. Danica joined the NAWL National Steering Committee in 2021.
Dr. Sabaa Khan is a lawyer and Director-General for Québec & Atlantic Canada at the David Suzuki Foundation. She also leads the Foundation’s climate law portfolio. A member of the World Commission on Environmental Law (IUCN) and the Barreau du Québec, Sabaa has held a number of advisory appointments in international trade and environmental governance, including on the NAFTA Advisory Council on Environment (Government of Canada), the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (Chair, 2019) and the UNEP Expert Group on Legal and Institutional Infrastructures for the Sound Management of Chemicals (LIRA Guidance). She is a former Senior Researcher of the Center for Climate Change, Energy & Environmental Law (Joensuu, Finland) where she taught international trade law in the Master’s Degree Programme in Environmental Policy and Law, and led an Academy of Finland-funded research project on global environmental law and chemical pollution in the Arctic. She was also a member of international multidisciplinary research consortiums investigating emergent transboundary environmental governance problems, including short-lived climate pollutants in the Arctic, as well as pharmaceutical and plastic pollution. Her legal research has been widely published, including by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the United Nations University – Institute for Sustainability and Peace, the Leiden Journal of International Law, Cambridge University Press and the Conference of the Four Societies of international law. Sabaa holds a doctoral degree from the Faculty of Law at McGill University where she was an O’Brien Fellow of the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and a Member of the Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory, as well as an LL.M. degree from the Université de Montréal and an LL.L. degree from the Université d’Ottawa. Sabaa is also a pianist, mother, and member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.
Jennifer Khor (she/her) is supervising lawyer and project manager for Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS)’s SHARP Workplaces Legal Advice Clinic providing legal advice to complainant’s of workplace sexual harassment and CLAS’s legal advice service for persons who have been sexually assaulted in BC. She is committed to ensuring that these legal services are delivered with a holistic trauma-informed approach. Jennifer regularly develops and delivers education and training. Jennifer also leads CLAS’s campaign against the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in silencing and perpetuating trauma on complainants, and is a member of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada’s working group on NDAs.
Jennifer has dedicated her career to access to justice, human rights, and equality issues. She graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Science and Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Laws. She was admitted to the Law Society of British Columbia in 1997. Jennifer previously worked on legal aid initiatives for Legal Aid BC, including opening child protection legal aid offices across the province. For many years, she worked internationally to improve access to justice and human rights in Africa and Asia.
Jennifer is an active volunteer in the legal profession. She has served on the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Policy and Advocacy, Professional Issues and Equality and Diversity Committees, and the National Access to Justice sub-committee. She was board member and co-chair of the Law and Government Liaison Committee for West Coast LEAF, board member and policy committee chair for an organization that advocates for the rights of migrant workers, and board member of a community legal aid clinic in Ontario.
Cheryl is the Executive Director of the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1987 and completed her M.S.W. at University of Toronto in 1991. She practised at the legal clinic Justice for Children and Youth from 1991 to 2008 where she appeared at all levels of court and various administrative tribunals on behalf of young people. There she also led the clinic’s Charter litigation including the challenge to the corporal punishment defence in the Criminal Code [Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law v. Canada (2004)], the striking down of the reverse onus sections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act for adult sentencing [R. v. D.B. (2008)], and an intervention involving the right of a capable adolescent to consent to her own medical treatment [A.C. v. Manitoba Child and Family Services (2009)].
As Executive Director of the Asper Centre, she has represented the Centre at the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Conway, R v. Barton, R. v. Kokopenace and the jury vetting appeals [R v Emms, R v Davey, R v Yumnu (2012)], as well as in the Polygamy Reference case at the B.C. Supreme Court and Tanudjaja v Canada (Attorney General) at the Ontario Court of Appeal. She is the past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association, Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Section and has served on the CBA National Constitutional and Human Rights Law and Child and Youth Law Sections executive. From 2018 to 2020 she served on the Child and Family Services Review Board and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and continues to serve on the Steering Committee of the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL). In 2019, Cheryl was awarded the Law Society Medal by the Law Society of Ontario for her contributions to the legal profession.
She teaches a Constitutional Advocacy clinic and Child and Youth Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto.
Dr. Vrinda Narain (she/her) is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, McGill University. Professor Narain’s research and teaching focus on constitutional law, social diversity and feminist legal theory. She is the author of two books: Reclaiming the Nation: Muslim Women and the Law in India (University of Toronto Press, 2008) and Gender and Community: Muslim Women’s Rights in India (University of Toronto Press, 2001). She was Associate Dean, Academic, at the Faculty of Law from 2016 to 2019. She is a Board Member of the transnational research and solidarity network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) and President of the South Asian Women’s Community Centre (SAWCC) in Montreal.
Sarah Sinclair (she/her) is a member of Peguis First Nation, Treaty One, Manitoba, and was born and raised on Mohkinstis, Treaty 7. After attending law school at the University of British Columbia she was called in 2015 and spent her first 3 years as a lawyer in private practice at a boutique Aboriginal law firm. In 2019 Sarah was hired as the first lawyer for Sahwoo mohkaak tsi ma taas, the Indigenous justice program at Calgary Legal Guidance, where she is the Program Lawyer and Supervisor. Sahwoo mohkaak tsi ma taas’ mission is to effect systemic change in access to justice for Indigenous people. To that end, Sarah provides pro bono legal services to individuals who would not otherwise have access to a lawyer, and cultural education and competency training to legal professionals. Sarah’s passion is to help accelerate the use of Indigenous law in everyday practice throughout the legal profession.
Sarah is a member of the Indigenous Circle of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, the Board of Directors of the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, and the Indigenous Advisory Committee of the Law Society of Alberta. She is an alumni of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 awards, 2021.
Zahra is a family lawyer and a Certified Specialist in Family Mediation. She is one of the founding partners of the law firm Simpson Taseer LLP. She is an active member of the Law Society of Ontario, with background in human rights and women’s rights work both in Canada and internationally. She is a member of the executive of the Family Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association and the Advocate Society’s 10+ Standing Committee. Her interests lie in the area of violence against women (VAW) and access to justice. She earned her common law degree from University of Ottawa, where she was actively involved in the Women’s Division at the Community Legal Clinic. Zahra also holds a LL.M. from University of Toronto. Prior to being called to the bar, Zahra worked for several years with women’s rights organizations including Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, advocating for women’s rights at the regional level and at the United Nations. At law school, Zahra received the Bertha Wilson scholarship for human rights.
