Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
Madam Minister, I would like to commend you for your testimony with regard to women and I thank you for it.
There are many exceptional women. I would say they are everywhere. In one way or another, they are confined in this whirlwind of disorganization and uncertainty. We find them on the front lines, in the health care and social services network, in the CHSLDs, in grocery stores, or at the bedsides of the sick. Some of them go home alone.
Given that equality between men and women is still far from being achieved, the pandemic is making an already problematic situation worse. Yes, the pandemic is shining the light on women's reality. However, before this pandemic, the face of issues like poverty, safe and good-quality social housing, seniors, caregivers, workers in the healthcare network or in essential services, and even the cases of violence, was still predominantly a female face. This crisis therefore is exacerbating what was already a problem, because women are being directly hit by the economic consequences of COVID-19 and by the social consequences of the lockdown.
In this pandemic, those most at risk, physically financially, socially or psychologically, are women. In Canada, almost 90% of hospital nursing staff are women. About 80% of the orderlies, whose contribution we highlighted yesterday, are women. Most family caregivers, 77% of them, are women, generally women older than 45. Since their life expectancy is higher than that of their spouses, they often survive them after they have taken care of them. The majority of seniors are also women living alone.
Although their level of education is higher than men's, women still represent three-quarters of part-time workers. Some may say that some of them choose that situation in order to achieve a work-life balance. Even then, domestic and family responsibilities fall to women. However, other factors also explain the disparity. Women are overrepresented in certain areas of employment, such as hospitality. In service sectors, like hotels, restaurants, and retail, the jobs are mostly part-time. So women are not working part-time by choice, but because they are not offered anything else. We are told that by a sociologist.
In addition, women receive lower salaries than men. Even though equality exists in law, actual equality is often harder to find. Women are often working part-time. I would also emphasize that they face more difficulties. Only one- third of them qualify for benefits such as employment insurance. I can show you all those figures to demonstrate that, while the face of the current crisis is female, it is also a reality that we have to consider. The problems existed well before the crisis and they must be dealt with.
According to her mandate letter, the Minister of Employment must implement Canada's Pay Equity Act. This is a matter of urgency. She must also work with the provinces and territories on the ratification of the ILO's 2019 Violence and Harassment Convention. That is also a commitment that we must make. In fact, according to figures published by Statistics Canada, one woman in 10 is worried about being affected by a situation of violence and a number feel that they will experience a situation of domestic violence. That is quite startling.
Against such a background, we must not lose sight of the fact that we must hear people's testimony, simply to emphasize the importance of the role of women. The goal is also to remind ourselves that our work on behalf of women—in terms of their reality and their absolute right to equality—must be work that we do every day, work that we cannot lose sight of. This is particularly important during these crises, which bring with them issues that are not only social but also financial.
We must also remember this government's commitment to conduct a complementary gender-based analysis of its financial, economic and social policies. In Quebec, we call it a gender-differentiated analysis. We must ask ourselves whether each action we take discriminates against women or whether we are supporting them with gender equality so that the discrimination disappears.
The fight for women is a one that society as a whole must fight, in all its forms. I believe that it is even more important to remind ourselves that the women we are not talking about and not worrying about are working and are in the front lines. We have finally realized how important their work is. We must not simply thank them, tell them how good they are and that we need them.
It is not enough to acknowledge how important they are for a day, or during a crisis. We must acknowledge that they are essential for society every day.