Okay, sorry to the translators.
Justice Evans also stated in paragraph 167 of his reasons:
There is now much to learn from the experience of provincial pay equity regimes, which seem not to have been plagued with the same problems of protracted litigation as the federal scheme. In the interests of all, a new design is urgently needed to implement the principle of pay equity in the federal sphere. For criticisms of the present arrangements, and recommendations for reform, see the Final Report of the Pay Equity Task Force....
Finally, with respect to our first recommendation, it bears mentioning that in order to implement the task force's recommendations and institute an effective and constitutional proactive regime, it is necessary to repeal the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act. Among other things, PSECA violates the constitutional right to equality by failing to provide an adequate mechanism to address the wage discrimination experienced by women employed in the federal public service and by denying them any substantive remedy. I can speak in more detail about the unconstitutionality of PSECA during question period if you would like.
Our second recommendation is that it be part of this committee's mandate to propose a plan for adopting a proactive regime. The government must ensure funding is available for national equality law organizations to participate meaningfully at federal law-making tables.
Without such funding support, the government will not have the women's equality rights law expertise nor the stakeholder participation it needs to guarantee that it enacts constitutional legislation. The Minister of Status of Women's mandate letter from Prime Minister Trudeau includes, among the minister's top priorities, that she work “with the Privy Council Office to ensure that a gender-based analysis is applied to proposals before they arrive at Cabinet for decision-making.”
This mandate is consistent with earlier obligations adopted by the federal government, mandating that legislators engage in gender-based policy analysis at every stage of the legislative process. Indeed, the Department of Justice has highlighted the importance of gender-based analysis in legislative drafting. The drafting of new pay equity provisions is no exception. This requires ensuring sufficient funding for women's equality rights experts and organizations to participate meaningfully in the process. It does not require that you reinvent the wheel and attempt to redo what the task force already accomplished to great international acclaim.
To sum up, get proactive draft legislation on the table within an established time frame, and then ensure the funding is in place to properly engage the necessary experts so that you are sure to introduce a pay equity bill that meets Canada's domestic and international human rights obligations.
Thank you. We would be happy to answer any questions you have.