Advocacy on Behalf of Key Social Issues

In keeping with our mandate and values as a profession, the following is a sampling of some of OASW's initiatives over the past year in support of:

Human Rights

• Enhanced accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities
• Same-sex marriage legislation
• Ending mandatory retirement
• Abolition of physical punishment of children and youth

Issues Impacting on Children and Youth

• Improvements to provincial child and family legislation
• Ending child and family poverty (for example, income security, housing)
• Development of a national child care strategy, as part of an "early years" strategy
• Ongoing and new initiatives to address violence against children and youth

A Publicly-Funded Health Care System

• Both hospital and community-based publicly-funded health care to ensure a comprehensive and fully accessible system
• Strengthening the availability and accessibility of an integrated mental health care system