Thank you very much for the invitation.
I'd like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Algonquin people, and the Métis homeland.
As my colleague has indicated, our government believes it's high time we move forward on the pay equity issue.
As Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, part of my mandate is to foster safe, fair, and productive workplaces and to encourage co-operative labour relations in the federal jurisdiction. I also have the role of ensuring compliance with pay equity provisions in section 11 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Section 11 makes it discriminatory for employers to pay men and women employed in the same establishment a different wage when they perform work of equal value.
In addition, the labour program offers educational support to federally regulated private sector employers and crown corporations to help them eliminate gender-based wage discrimination. The labour program can also refer suspected cases of gender-based wage discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Our government's goal is to stop this discrimination related to the undervaluation of work traditionally performed by women.
Many studies show that systemic discrimination related to the undervaluation of work traditionally performed by women is not new, or uniquely Canadian. Modern economies face this kind of discrimination to a greater or lesser degree. Figures from StatsCan's 2015 labour force survey show that women across Canada earn only 82¢ for every dollar earned by men. In the federal sector, a woman earns 87¢ for every dollar earned by men. Neither statistic is acceptable.
Equity and diversity are priorities in our mandate letters, and cabinet reflects their importance. We value fairness, transparency, and collaboration. We strongly believe in the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, and the fair treatment of all workers.
Some progress has been made in closing the gender wage gap; however, too many women still face unfair challenges in the workplace and much more needs to be done. Achieving pay equity is a contentious issue, and there are worries about employers and unions trying to hash it out at the bargaining table. In fact, not all federally regulated employees are union members, so that approach would not work.
We know we can do better. Gender bias in how women and men are paid is simply no longer acceptable. It is a question of fairness and equal access to opportunity—core values of our government and of Canadians. We need to build on what we already have. Sixteen years ago the government created a task force chaired by Dr. Beth Bilson to study pay equity and make recommendations. The Bilson report came forward in 2004 with 113 recommendations on pay equity.
One of its recommendations was that we move to a proactive pay equity model that requires employers to review their compensation systems, identify gender-based disparities, and take measures to address them. While the overall assessment of proactive legislation was very positive at the time, there was little consensus on how to implement those recommendations.
I'd be interested in your views on a proactive approach to pay equity in the federally regulated private sector. I am open to suggestions for free-standing pay equity legislation, but foremost I am committed to making every possible effort to achieve pay equity in the federal jurisdiction.
Pay equity is one means of doing so—a very important one—and we must do so. I therefore welcome the work of this committee and look forward to hearing your thoughts and recommendations on the most effective actions we can take to make pay equity a reality in this country.
Thank you.