Thank you for the question.
YWCA Canada has been calling for a very long time—as have other women-serving organizations—for proactive pay equity legislation, so we were pleased to see this included in Bill C-86. Our colleagues on the panel have spoken about some of the things that need to be addressed to make it even better, but on the whole we are happy with the spirit of the legislation, because this is something that will impact the lives of many of the folks we serve every day across the country.
Our stipulation, from our understanding of the bill before us, is that there are some exemptions for folks who are in part-time, seasonal or contract work or in non-standard employment. For many of the people we serve every day across the country, this would not help them. It's really important, then, that we address this when we consider the legislation before us, because that exemption impacts primarily—and disproportionately—women. That is something to consider as your committee considers this bill.
On the whole, we are quite pleased with the introduction of a department for women and gender equality. We would encourage the committee to really put this forward in terms of resources in the upcoming budget 2019 to ensure that this department can do all of the great work that is set out in the bill itself.
This is a landmark moment. This is something that we should have in this country. YWCA Canada, with the over 330,000 people whom we serve across the country, is looking forward to seeing what impact this will make in a tangible way for women and girls and their families.
Thank you.