I'm very pleased to be here. We appreciate all committee members having been flexible on the time to meet with us.
As you know, we supported the creation of this special committee and we are pleased to see that your work on this vital topic is well underway.
We don't see this as a partisan issue. As we move forward on important social and equity issues around equality and diversity, we ought to seek to move forward as a Parliament working together to build a fairer and better Canada.
A gender wage gap in this day and age is simply unacceptable. At Treasury Board, we have the fortunate opportunity to be part of the solution.
Let me begin by briefly explaining the two roles Treasury Board plays when it comes to pay equity.
Firstly, Treasury Board plays an important role vis-à-vis pay equity legislation in the public sector, and secondly, Treasury Board is the largest federally regulated employer. We employ just under 200,000 people in the core public administration, so we have an opportunity to set a standard and to lead by example in pay equity.
The Government of Canada of course believes in the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. This is a fundamental human right. That is unequivocal and is a basic principle that's enshrined in the Canadian Human Rights Act, framed by constitutional guarantees of equality.
The goal of pay equity policy and legislation is to ensure that pay is based on the value of the work, not on the gender of who is doing the work. In 1977 the Government of Canada became the first jurisdiction in Canada to enact pay equity legislation in the form of the Canadian Human Rights Act's section 11. This legislation allowed for pay equity complaints to be filed and was actually the vanguard of its time, but the landscape has changed. Now is the time for the Government of Canada to reassess the method of addressing the issue of pay equity.
My colleague, the Minister of Status of Women, has talked about the gender wage gap and the measures to reduce it. The gender wage gap in the public sector stands at about 9%. It is better than the average, which is about 14%, but we have no time to be complacent about or to derive comfort from these statistics. We have a lot of work to do.
The Prime Minister has delivered on the commitment of appointing a gender-balanced cabinet, which further underscores the importance of this. It sets a real example and is having an impact in corporate boardrooms. I've been told by corporate leaders that in fact it's having an impact on how they look at corporate boards going forward. It's going to actually raise the bar for corporate Canada as well.
It's notable that on International Women's Day the National Film Board of Canada announced that at least half of its production funding will be allocated to films directed by women. It's going to take all of us across government and across business to work together to make meaningful progress.
In terms of making meaningful progress on this front, we will have to ensure not only that women have equal access to good jobs at all levels but that we also make incremental and important progress in reducing the gender wage gap. The more we break down barriers and inspire young women and girls to pursue a wide range of careers, the stronger our country will be. It all depends on us, as representatives of the Canadian people, to set an example.
While noticeable progress has been made towards gender equality, there is still a lot of hard work to be done. Pay equity is an important part of that work.
It's my understanding that this committee has heard from a number of witnesses, and that much of the discussion has been focused on the pros and cons of the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Bilson report, and the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act, PSECA. These systems attempt to address the pay equity issue by each implementing different solutions arising from various decision points. We need to understand the decisions that underlie these three systems, decisions like defining the scope of the model or outlining the dispute resolution process. Our government's answers to questions like these will be fundamental in crafting an approach to pay equity that gets it right. This becomes very important from an equity perspective, and also has very significant fiscal implications. As we focus on developing a more widely accepted approach, it's imperative that we learn from the mistakes of past attempts, and as we move forward, that we don't repeat those mistakes.
The committee has heard from multiple witnesses and stakeholder groups, putting in very good positions and input to advise the government. This committee's work is very important. It will inform our decisions as a government as we go forward.
The process by which pay equity is enacted must be revisited. That question is not up for debate. We know the imperativeness of this. We appreciate and support your work as a committee. Time is of the essence. This legislation requires a sound development process, and we commit to maintaining consultations with the stakeholders as we go through this process. We're committed to pay equity at every level, of course, including at the cabinet table.
In 2016, women expect to be full participants in the economic, social and democratic life of our country.
We're committed to resolving pay equity in a balanced and responsible way, which is why this government supported the motion from the beginning. We look forward to your guidance on this important issue, and to your input and co-operation as we move forward. This issue doesn't just affect women. It affects all of us, as Canadians, because equality and fairness is a Canadian value.
Congratulations on your work. We look forward to the conversation here tonight and your continued engagement.