I am honored to represent and serve you as President of the Canadian Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (CCIAWJ).

“The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose members represent all levels of the judiciary worldwide and share a commitment to equal justice for women and the rule of law.”  The IAWJ has grown to a membership of over 6,000 in 100 countries.

The CCIAWJ works closely with the IAWJ to fulfill its goals.  Every member of the CCIAWJ is a member of the IAWJ as the membership fees for the CCIAWJ include the membership fee for the IAWJ.  In this regard, I would encourage you to take advantage of our electronic registration system.

The CCIAWJ’s portion of the membership fees is used to support programs and projects that advance issues of importance to women throughout our legal system.

One of our enduring projects is our “Evening with Women Judges” program.  Each year, women from various law schools are invited to participate in an informal evening with women judges on a rotating basis.  By all reports, this is an inspirational evening for both the students and the judges.

We have a history of supporting women law students who have had less opportunity or who are engaged in our programs of study that are consistent with our objectives.  We have just completed a three-year scholarship for a woman to study law at the Schulich School of Law of Dalhousie University.

Our Project’s Committee is currently in the midst of a project designed to promote the retention and advancement of women in the legal profession.  To date, roundtables with women in the profession have occurred in a number of provinces.  Participation in the roundtables has been high and the response positive.  We will continue to host these roundtables throughout the year.  The Committee is currently in the process of establishing a National Roundtable Advisory Group to consider the roundtables and determine how to move forward.

We recognize the plight of the Afghan Women Judges.  Since the takeover by the Taliban, our International Director has actively participated, and continues to participate, in international efforts to help these women escape the country.  In addition, we now have an Afghan Women Judges Committee, which engages in numerous programs and initiatives to assist those judges and their families who are immigrating to Canada.

This year we sponsored a Room of Our Own Book Club through the purchase of a large number of Nadia Murad’s book “The Last Girl”.  This book club is dedicated to high-risk teen girls who cannot afford to buy their own books.  A four-day virtual event was held dedicated to discussing the book and focusing on human rights.  Our members were pleased to participate in the event.

We continue to work on our website and membership.  We welcome the participation of all members on our committees regardless of Board membership and would encourage you to consider contributing to these two committees.

Yours sincerely,

Justice Diana Cameron                                                                                                                    President CCIAWJ                                                                                                                                    Manitoba Court of Appeal