Supporting Organizations in
the Pursuit of Social Justice
Colleen Davison, MPH, PhD
June Webber, RN, PhD
CIHR-GHRI Postdoctoral Scholar,
University of Ottawa
Director, Department of International
Policy and Development CNA
Benita Cohen, RN, PhD
Nancy Edwards, RN, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of
Manitoba; Postdoctoral Fellow,
University of Ottawa
Professor, University of Ottawa
Presented by: Dr. Benita Cohen, University of Manitoba
Social Justice is…
• A founding pillar of public health
• A critical goal of social progress
Aims of the Presentation
To provide:
• A brief overview of the CNA Social Justice
Initiative
• An introduction to the current version of
the CNA Social Justice Gauge
• Links to further information
• Inspiration for other organizations to
consider the same kind of initiative
Social Justice Initiative
CNA Board of Directors Signals
Interest in, and Commitment to,
Social Justice
CNA Board of Directors
Social Justice Workshop
CNA Social Justice Initiative
June 2002
June 2003
Phase IA & IB
Defining and
Monitoring SJ
Phase II – CNA
Social Justice
Gauge
Phase III Testing
December
2003 –
February 2004
March 2004 –
March 2005
October 2006
– January
2007
Phase IV –
Adapting the
Gauge
July –
November 2007
Phase V - Testing
September
2008
Key publications
Social Justice is…
• “the fair distribution of society’s benefits,
responsibilities and their consequences. It
focuses on the relative position of one social
group in relationship to others in society as
well as on the root causes of disparities and
what can be done to eliminate them.” (CNA.
2006. Social Justice: A means to an end; an
end in itself. p. 4)
Social Justice is…
Grounded in four key ideas:
1. Fairness;
2. The relative position of individuals and
groups in society;
3. An understanding of the root causes of
unnecessary disparities, and;
4. Taking action to eliminate these disparities.
The Social Justice Ideal is…
• That all individuals and social groups are
valued and, taking into consideration
social context, society’s benefits and
responsibilities are distributed in a way
that reduces unnecessary disparities
[inequities].
Our Guiding Principles
• Recognition – The organization must
understand and be able to describe
inequities that exist, the reasons for their
presence and how they affect population
sub-groups, including nurses
• Responsible action – The organization
must take action on inequities, advocate
for the reduction of sources of oppression
and work towards parity and fairness
Social Justice Gauge
• A resource tool developed as part of the Social
Justice Initiative
• A guide for policy and program review and a
springboard for reflection and discussion for an
organization
• Helps focus people’s attention on the key ideals
of a social justice perspective.
• Now in its second version.
Question #1
Does the document/program/policy reflect
recognition of the importance of
equity/fairness?
Examples might include: specific mention of
equity or fairness; non-discriminatory content;
evidence of the support for universal human
rights; or equitable involvement of a diverse
set of stakeholders.
Question #2
Does the document/program/policy reflect
recognition of the relative position of one
individual or group to others in society?
Examples might include: mention of, or focus
on, disadvantaged groups or individuals; or
evidence of a lack of capacity or engagement
especially among disadvantaged groups.
Question #3
Does the document/program/policy reflect an
understanding of the root causes of inequities
in society, particularly those related to social
systems, structures and institutions?
Examples might include: work at a system, structural or
institutional level to support equity such as the inclusion of
equity, fairness or justice in codes of ethical practice or the use
of specific institutional tools ensure the fair treatment of all
individuals.
Question #4
Does the document/program/policy reflect
recognition of the necessity of responsible
action to reduce and eliminate inequities?
Example might include; targeted programming,
advocacy aimed at reducing disparities;
partnerships between diverse stakeholders; or
evidence-based decision-making.
Key Publications
SOCIAL JUSTICE … a means to an end, an end in itself
CNA (2006) http://www.cnaiic.ca/CNA/documents/pdf/publication/Social_Justice_e.pdf
Davison, C., Edwards, N., and Webber, J. 2006. Development of a
Social Justice Gauge and Its Use to Review the Canadian Nurses
Association’s Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses. Advances in
Nursing Science. Vol.29. No.4, pp.E13-E26.
Edwards, N & Davison, CM (in press) Social Justice and Core
Competencies for Public Health: Improving the Fit. Canadian
Journal of Public Health.
Canadian Nurses Association
Department of International Policy and Development
50 Driveway
Ottawa ON Canada K2P 1E2
Telephone: 1-800-361-8404
or
(613) 237-2133
Fax: (613) 237-3520
E-mail: info@cna-aiic.ca
Web site: www.cna-aiic.ca