Fredericton — Twenty-five years after the first World March of Women, more than 200 people took to the streets of Fredericton under the theme Equity in Motion, to reaffirm that the fight for equity and justice is far from over.
Organized by the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity with the support of a local organizing committee, the march gathered participants in the same spirit of solidarity that drove the 2000 march. Together, they renewed the demands voiced 25 years ago: the adoption of pay equity legislation and concrete measures to end gender-based violence.
“Marching together today is a powerful reminder of our collective strength,” said Raphaëlle Valay-Nadeau, Chair of the Coalition. “If we’re still here 25 years later, it’s because the demands made in 2000 remain just as urgent.”
The 2000 march was also held on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a symbolic choice for those who believed that “correcting wage discrimination is correcting a major cause of women’s poverty.” That message remains just as true today, as many New Brunswick women are still denied their right to pay equity.
“Since 2000, we’ve made important progress: a Pay Equity Act for the public sector, wage increases in essential services, and a federal law protecting millions of workers. But women in the private sector are still waiting. It’s time to make pay equity a reality for everyone, and we hope this time, the government will act,” added Valay-Nadeau.
Representatives from all levels of government, including the Premier, the Minister responsible for Women’s Equality, the Lieutenant-Governor, and the Mayor of Fredericton, joined the march, underscoring the importance and reach of the cause. The Liberal Party platform includes a commitment to extend pay equity to the private and care sectors.
For those who marched in 2000, today’s event marks the continuation of a movement.
“Seeing women from every generation walking side by side again is deeply moving,” said Nancy Hartling, Co-Chair of the 2000 New Brunswick delegation and former Senator. “Twenty-five years later, we’re still marching for the same values, and that solidarity remains as strong as ever. We move forward together.”
In 2000, 139 New Brunswick women boarded buses to New York to take part in the first World March of Women. Along the way, they stopped in Fredericton, Montreal, and Ottawa before reaching their destination. There, they presented a petition signed by 30,000 New Brunswickers, along with solidarity contracts from 73 organizations calling for the adoption of pay equity legislation in New Brunswick — a goal that remains unfinished business.