Moncton – The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity applauds this historic moment: the federal government introduced yesterday a proactive pay equity bill to ensure women and men receive equal pay for work of equal value.
The federal Pay Equity Act will apply to the federal public service, parliamentary workplaces, and federally regulated sectors with at least 10 employees such as banks, telecommunication and interprovincial transportation. Employers will have to establish a pay equity plan within three years of the legislation coming into force.
“This is an exciting moment for the 1.2-million workers whose right to pay equity will soon be better protected by the law. We are pleased the federal government is taking the lead in ensuring pay equity for workers in female-dominated jobs,” says Frances LeBlanc, the Chair of the Coalition.
A Pay Equity Commissioner will be appointed to the Canadian Human Rights Commission to educate employers and enforce the Act. Once the Act is in place, federal employers will have to develop pay equity plans and review them every five years to ensure pay gaps have not arisen since their implementation.
“It’s time to guarantee to right to pay equity for workers across all jurisdictions in both the private and public sectors. We hope that the federal legislation will push all provinces to act, especially New Brunswick where women and men have been advocating for such legislation for so long,” says LeBlanc. “New Brunswick has legislation to ensure pay equity in the public sector, but not yet in the private sector. It’s our turn to act.”