Thank you.
The National Council of Women of Canada appreciates the opportunity to participate in these consultations on employability in Canada.
I would like to take a minute to tell you a bit about NCWC. We were founded in 1893--that's 113 years ago. We're a non-profit, non-partisan organization of women's groups, representing a very large section of our population with diverse occupations, languages, origins, and cultures, and reflecting a cross-section of public opinion. We are composed of 18 local councils, five provincial councils, and 28 nationally organized societies.
We hold category two consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, ECOSOC. In addition, we're a federate of the International Council of Women, which is an international NGO holding category one consultative status with ECOSOC.
As per the criteria we received from the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, we address the following issues in no particular order: the recognition of foreign credentials, equal benefits for part-time workers, appointments of women to federal decision-making bodies in proportionate numbers, apprentice training in Canada, training programs for women, pay equity, position of the sole parent under the Adult Occupational Training Act, child care deductions for people on unemployment insurance in training programs, child care, adult literacy, workplace literacy, job sharing and employment, persons with disabilities, and older workers.
Equal opportunity is defined through www.equalopportunity.on.ca as: (1) the absence of discrimination in the workplace based on race, colour, age, gender, national origin, religion, or mental or physical disability; (2) freedom from discrimination in employment on the basis of race, colour, disability, age, or sometimes sexual orientation; and (3) the right to equivalent opportunities for employment regardless of race, colour, sex, or national origin.
As we look at a variety of issues in this brief, inequities in employment must also be addressed. For example, women earn on average approximately 72ยข for each dollar that a man makes for work of equal value. While freedom from discrimination has been legislated, along with pay equity, the fact remains that discrimination still exists, as does pay inequity.
Twenty-five years ago, Canada signed and ratified the UN convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, which is commonly called CEDAW for short, and during the election Stephen Harper signed the CEDAW pledge, as did all other party leaders. However, he has now cut funding to the operating budget for Status of Women Canada. SWC has been an instrumental aid for women's progress towards gender equality, as have many women's organizations. Also, the Harper government has recently let women's groups know that they will no longer receive funding from SWC for the advocacy, lobbying, and research work that they do. How can Canadian women now ensure that they will continue to progress towards complete gender equality?
Regarding pay equity, in 1977 the federal government passed the Canadian Human Rights Act, guaranteeing equal pay for work of equal value, and in September 1977 set up the Canadian Human Rights Commission to administer the act.
However, not all employed women currently receive equal pay for work of equal value. We urge the federal government to (a) replace the existing federal pay equity scheme with comprehensive and proactive pay equity legislation; (b) affirm that pay equity is a fundamental human right protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and international human rights law; (c) devise effective methodology for job evaluation, job comparison, wage adjustments, and the timing of corrective payments; and (d) have easily accessible procedures for non-unionized women, as well as for part-time, casual, seasonal, and contractual workers.
The Canadian taxpayer has already invested in the necessary equivalent figures, which were developed by Status of Women Canada.
Equal benefits for part-time workers.... Many employees will never attain full employment, either by choice or because of barriers to their participation. Over the past several years, the fastest-growing segment of the labour force has been part-time workers. They are usually the first to be laid off; they have no job security and therefore are at more risk of becoming unemployed and even homeless.
Whereas the majority of part-time workers are women, whereas Canada and the provinces agreed to support and implement the UN convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, and whereas the Canada Labour Code covers only federal employees, leaving all other workers to be governed by provincial-territorial labour standards legislation--