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no religious arbitration
coalition & steering committee

terms of reference:

Coalition Membership

The No Religious Arbitration Coalition is made up of representatives of autonomous equality seeking organizations who have come together to advocate against the use of religious arbitration in family law in Ontario.  

values that govern our work:

• opposition to the use of religious arbitration in family law disputes
• support for the exclusive use of public family law to govern family law disputes
• recognition that women’s experience of inequality is systemic and reflects overlapping and intersecting forms of discrimination based on race, class, sexual orientation, immigration status, disability, age, language, religion and other characteristics.
• Recognition that social justice requires the leadership of women in society and in the decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. 
• advocacy is done in a way that combats racism, colonization, Islamophobia and all other forms of oppression and discrimination. 
• A united position with respect to religious arbitration will strengthen all our individual efforts
• well-reasoned, informative research, lobbying and popular education speak louder than hyperbole
• Differences among agencies in mandate and focus need not prevent us from presenting a coherent and credible voice on this particular issue

the steering committee

In order to carry out work on behalf of the Coalition, a Steering Committee was appointed.  Members are those appointed by the groups present at the meeting convened by CCMW at YWCA Toronto on June 19, 2005.  Initially ratified by the membership, it remains accountable to a coalition made up of those groups.

All members of the Steering Committee are equal partners and carry equal weight and no organization carries a veto.

While striving for consensus in all decisions, it is expected that conflict may arise, and be resolved within the Steering Committee process.    It is expected that resolution will occur through competent chairing, coordination and facilitation, and the respectful conduct of individual members.  But, where disagreements are fundamental in nature, and cannot be resolved through discussion and reference to the principles and guidelines of the coalition, a process of conflict resolution will be invoked*.

structure of the steering committee

• the Steering Committee has had its mandate extended in order to carry out work on behalf of the coalition following the announcement of the government's announcement on September 11th that there will be no religious arbitration in matters of family law in Ontario.
• meetings will be by teleconference unless otherwise decided and will accommodate active members who hold day jobs
• each meeting will end with the setting of the next meeting
• communication between meetings will be confidential and will take place by email
• the SC will be co-chaired by Alia Hogben and Pamela Cross 
• Alia will be responsible for taking and circulating meeting minutes
• the relevence of the work will be ensured and reviewed by the Coalition through a quarterly reporting relationship with the Steering Committee
• the coalition will meet quarterly, with CCMW responsible for calling and organizing these meetings

Members will be responsible for ensuring their availability to participate in Steering Committee activities e.g.  meetings and teleconferences as required.   If the representative is not available it is her responsibility to contact one of the co-chairs and to be briefed on the missed meeting or teleconference. Given the intensity of the work and the short time frame, members will be asked to leave the steering committee if they miss two consecutive meetings.

Representatives of the Steering Committee work collaboratively and by consensus whenever possible. When consensus is not possible, decisions will be approved when 75% of members present agree. At least five SC members must be present for decision-making to occur.

Confidentiality within the Steering Committee is required.   No information is to be shared outside the steering committee unless the steering committee deems it ready for sharing or express permission to distribute is given.  Because of the extreme sensitivity of this issue, a breach of this confidentiality agreement will result in the member being asked to leave the Steering Committee.

functions of the steering committee:

• to provide overall direction and guidance to the education and advocacy campaign of the Coalition
• to follow up on specific action items agreed upon at the June 19 Coalition meeting
• to report back to the Coalition about decisions made
• to refer appropriate decisions to the Coalition

more

no religious arbitration coalition - backgrounder
no religious arbitration: terms of reference
sign up to endorse the coalition declaration
no religious arbitration: resources
no religious arbitration letter to your MPP
email a friend

downloads:
original declaration on religious arbitration in family law & membership - June 1, 2005
YWCA’s analysis of the Boyd report
November 16, 2005 press release

external links:
Marion Boyd's report in full
no religious arbitration: resources

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