The struggle against wage discrimination goes back over a century in New Brunswick. Since then, the promotion of pay equity has had notable success. Over the years, we’ve seen the implementation of proactive measures and investments in key vulnerable sectors at both the provincial and federal level but our work is not over!
LEARN MORE about landmark events in pay equity history in both New Brunswick and Canada. Check out the links for more information.
A five-year Early Learning And Child Care Agreement between the provincial and federal governments is reached. The agreement will reduce parent fees to $10 per day and increase the wages of early childhood educators by 25 per cent.
Canada
The federal Pay Equity Act comes into force. Concerned workplaces include the federal public service, parliamentary workplaces, and federally regulated private employers with at least 10 employees in sectors such as banks, telecommunication and interprovincial transportation.
The Coalition releases a 2nd Pay Equity Evaluation report for three other services: special care homes, family support services, and Employment and Support Service Program (ESSP). The report found that fair wages would be between $22.44 and $25.91 per hour to meet the wages of male-dominated jobs of comparable value
The Coalition releases the first Value of Care report to update pay equity evaluations conducted by the provincial government between 2008 and 2014 for four services: home support services, transition houses and community residences. According to the report, fair wages range from approximately $22 to $25 per hour.
The Advisory Committee on Living Wage and Pay Equity of the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation’s (ESIC) final report recommends that the government “adopt comprehensive pay equity legislation that covers employees in both the public and private sectors”.
Canada
The proactive Pay Equity Act receives Royal Assent. It will apply to the federal public service, parliamentary workplaces and federally regulated industries with 10 or more employees, such as banking, telecommunications and interprovincial transportation. However, there is no set date for the adoption of the regulations required for the Act to come into force.
Canada
The Special Committee on Pay Equity presents the report It's Time to Act to the House of Commons. It recommends that the Government of Canada repeal the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act and "draft proactive pay equity legislation within 18 months of the tabling of this report".
Canada
The House of Commons adopts a motion introduced by the MP Sheila Malcolmson, creating a committee to hold hearings on pay equity and to propose a plan for a proactive federal pay equity regime, legislatively and otherwise.
Ruth Rose, Associate Professor of Economics at the Université du Québec à Montréal, publishes the report Pay Equity in Community Services in New Brunswick. The report analyzes the pay equity program conducted by New Brunswick (2008-2012). She concludes that the methodology used by New Brunswick is flawed.
The Government of New Brunswick releases the results of a Pay Equity study in community residences. These results range from $14 to $16 per hour. However, they are still far from a truly equitable wage level because of the methodology errors raised by the Coalition.
The Coalition for Pay Equity publishes its Comments on the results of the New Brunswick Government's Pay Equity Program in the non-legislated sectors and asks the government to improve the methodology it has developed for workplaces without predominantly male jobs.
The Pay Equity Program that began in 2008 for child care, home support and transition house staff has finally been made public. The Coalition is challenging the results which are very low, ranging from $12 to $14 per hour.
Canada
To the shock of Canadian feminist groups, Stephen Harper's minority government introduced the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act, which would make pay equity subject to collective bargaining and the marketplace. The legislation would also impose fines of up to $50,000 on unions that encourage a member to file a pay equity complaint. Fortunately, the Act never came into force.
Following the Coalition's demands, the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Mary Schryer, tabled a bill on pay equity: the Pay Equity Act, 2009. This law will apply to the public service, the education and health sectors, as well as to Crown corporations. The government adopted this law which came into force in April 2010.
The provincial government announced that it will conduct pay equity assessments in five private sector services: child care, home support services and transition houses. Community residences will be added to the project in 2010. An election is called before the adjustments are made.
In response to the Wage Gap Roundtable, Minister Margaret Ann Blaney unveils the 2005-2010 Wage Gap Action Plan, which recommends voluntary measures for employers. The five-year action plan has four objectives
The Law Amendments Committee submits its report to the Legislature. It recommends that Bill 77 not be passed, but rather that the Wage Gap Action Plan based on voluntary measures be continued. It recommends that the government legislate if there is not enough progress after five years.
Elizabeth Weir, Leader of the New Democratic Party, introduces Bill 77, which was drafted by the Coalition for Pay Equity. The Bill was sent to the Law Amendments Committee.
Canada
The federal Pay Equity Task Force submits the report, Pay Equity: A New Approach to a Fundamental Right, to the Ministers of Justice and Labour. It shows that the protections within the Canadian Human Rights Act have been a failure, and recommends a stand-alone pay equity act.
Following the Wage Gap Roundtable, Minister Margaret Ann Blaney tables her report recommending five years of voluntary measures, followed by an evaluation and, if there is little progress, the implementation of appropriate legislation to reduce the wage gap.
The Coalition for Pay Equity and the New Brunswick Federation of Labour released independent recommendations calling on the government to adopt pay equity legislation as soon as possible.
Margaret-Ann Blaney, then Minister responsible for the Status of Women, sets up the Wage Gap Roundtable to study the contributing factors to the wage gap between men and women.
The Union des femmes pour l'équité salariale was replaced by the Coalition for Pay Equity, founded on June 16, 2001.
The New Brunswick committee for the World March of Women 2000 organized a delegation to New York. It is also asking, jointly with the Women's Union for Pay Equity, for pay equity legislation from the provincial government.
The Fédération des dames d’Acadie establishes the Women’s Union for Pay Equity on May 23, 1998.
The NB Advisory Council on the Status of Women (ACSW) publishes the working document The Wage Gap: Causes, Consequences, Actions.
The government publishes the results of the pay equity exercises completed under the Pay Equity Act in the report Pay Equity Summary of Activities of the Pay Equity Steering Committee.
Frank McKenna’s government passes the Pay Equity Act, which applies to employees in Part I of the civil service (i.e. civil servants).
Canada
Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on Equality Rights comes into force: “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.”
Canada
Judge R.S. Abella releases Equality in Employment: A Royal Commission Report that makes several recommendations including: “Equal pay for work of equal value should be part of all employment equity programs”.
Canada
The Canadian Human Rights Act comes into force. It applies to federal jurisdiction, including the territories. Section 11 prohibits wage discrimination between male and female employees performing work of equal value.
The government enacts the New Brunswick Human Rights Act, which includes article 3(1): “No employer shall discriminate against any person in respect to employment or any term or condition of employment because of sex.”
The government enacts a law stipulating the same minimum wage for men and women.
Robert Emmerson, the then Premier of NB, argues that a woman received little more than half the wages a man received for the same work and that this was discrimination.