CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/8-9 (d) Promote capacity-building programmes for judges, prosecutors and lawyers on the Convention, the Optional Protocol thereto, the Committee’s general recommendations and Committee views on individual communications and inquiry findings, to enable them to invoke those instruments before domestic courts and interpret domestic legislation accordingly. Application of the Convention under the federal system 10. While the Committee is cognizant of the complex federal and constitutional structures in the State party, it reiterates (see CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/7, para. 11) that the federal Government is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Convention and providing leadership to the provincial and territorial governments in that context. The Committee is concerned that the federal Government may not sufficiently use the available accountability mechanisms to ensure that the provincial and territorial governments establish legal and policy measures that are fully compliant with the Convention. 11. The Committee, taking into account the legal responsibility and leadership role of the federal Government in the implementation of the Convention, reiterates its previous recommendation (see CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/7, para. 12) that the State party establish an effective mechanism aimed at ensuring accountability and the transparent, coherent and consistent implementation of the Convention throughout its territory. In this regard, the Committee recommends that the State Party consistently starts using conditional and targeted federal funding in order to make sure that transfer of payments to provinces and territories take into due account compliance with the provisions of the Convention, as already is the case for some of Canada´s development assistance programmes. Legislative framework 12. The Committee notes the various constitutional, legislative, statutory, administrative and policy provisions promoting gender equality and defining sex as a prohibited ground of discrimination. It further notes that a new Bill amending the Indian Act is currently being developed. However, the Committee remains concerned about continued discrimination against indigenous women, in particular regarding the transmission of Indian status, preventing them and their descendants from enjoying all the benefits related to such status. 13. The Committee recommends that the State party remove all remaining discriminatory provisions of the Indian Act that affect indigenous women and their descendants, and ensure that aboriginal women enjoy the same rights as men to transmit status to their children and grandchildren. Access to justice 14. The Committee welcomes the repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, in 2008, as well as the restoration of the Court Challenges Program, in 201 7. The Committee is, however, concerned that: (a) Financial support for civil legal aid programmes has considerably diminished in the past 20 years and has become increasingly restricted, affecting particularly women who are the primary users of civil legal aid; (b) Income tests for eligibility limit civil legal aid to women living well below the poverty line, consequently denying low-income women access to legal representation and services; 3

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