Foundation for Equal Families
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| Formation | 1994 |
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| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
The Foundation for Equal Families is a Canadian gay and lesbian rights group founded in 1994 following the failure of Bill 167 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The group's mandate is "Dedicated to achieving recognition and equality for same sex relationships and associated family rights through education and legal action". Meeting this mandate was accomplished by intervening in various precedent-setting legal cases, through representation at various pride parades and most notably in suing the Canadian federal government over failure to amend 58 pieces of federal legislation that were charter-infringing due to the definition of spouse.
The Foundation is made up of community activists and lawyers.
On May 17, 1994, the Ontario Attorney General introduced the bill to provide same-sex couples with rights and obligations equal to opposite-sex common law couples. The legislation would have amended the definition of “spouse” in 79 provincial statutes. The Bill was defeated by a vote of 68 to 59 on second reading on June 9, 1994.
On multiple occasions, the Foundation sought and was granted intervener status in various court cases. An intervener is a party that has an interest in the case, but is not either the appellant or respondent.
Rosenberg
Jane Doe & Doe
Representatives of the Foundation have made appearances in front of several Canadian parliamentary standing committees.
The education portion of the mandate was achieved through participation in various cities pride events, including Toronto, London, Windsor and Ottawa. Various legal "fact sheets" were drawn up providing summaries of various legal decisions that affect the LGBT community.
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