Moncton — The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity marks International Women’s Day as New Brunswick prepares to take its most significant legislative step toward pay equity in more than a decade.
The provincial government has committed to introducing pay transparency legislation this year and proactive pay equity legislation for the private sector in 2027. These measures will represent the first major expansion of pay equity measures in the province since 2009.
“These upcoming laws will shape workplace equality in New Brunswick for decades,” said Raphaëlle Valay-Nadeau, Chair of the Coalition. “Now is the time to ensure pay equity becomes the standard in every workplace. Women in New Brunswick have waited decades for this moment. We need to get it right.”
For 25 years, the Coalition has championed the right to pay equity and fair working conditions for women in New Brunswick. While successive governments have acknowledged the need to address gender-based wage discrimination, Valay-Nadeau notes that these commitments mark a shift from recognition to action.
“New Brunswickers have long believed that women deserve to be paid fairly for their work,” said Valay Nadeau. “After years of advocacy, we finally have the chance to turn that support into lasting legislation.”
The Coalition notes that pay transparency and proactive pay equity legislation are designed to work hand in hand. Pay transparency helps expose wage gaps often hidden in workplace pay structures, while pay equity helps correct gender-based wage gaps. The Coalition recommends that the upcoming pay transparency legislation include policies such as mandating wage ranges in job postings, protecting workers’ right to discuss pay, and reporting on workplace wage gaps.
Pay equity legislation, in turn, ensures equal pay for work of equal value. It requires private sector employers to evaluate jobs and ensure that work mostly done by women is paid equally to work mostly done by men of comparable value. This is already required in the public sector under the Pay Equity Act, 2009. New legislation should extend these requirements to the private sector, including care services, municipalities, and non-profit organizations.
“We are not creating new rights,” added Valay-Nadeau. “The government is finally putting the tools in place to enforce rights women have had for decades, but that too often remain unenforced in practice. These include the right to pay parity, pay equity, and work free from gender-based discrimination.”
After 25 years of advocacy, the Coalition applauds the government’s commitments and stands ready to help move this work forward. It stresses that New Brunswick has a real opportunity to ensure that the next generation of workers stops paying the cost of wage inequity.
“We cannot afford to miss this moment,” concludes Valay-Nadeau.