Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women has received a response from the government on pay equity legislation and women across the country are outraged.
The Liberals have yet again decided to study and consult. They want to explore the relationship between pay equity and collective bargaining, which all women know is Liberal code for putting pay equity on the bargaining table. Women are insulted.
The pay equity task force studied and consulted for years. It held public hearings around the country. There were five multi-stakeholder round tables, 29 external research reports and more than 50 written submissions. It heard from hundreds of witnesses and held a symposium with scholars and experts.
The end result was a 500 page report with a clear plan of action for proactive federal pay equity legislation. Over and over again the Liberals refer to pay equity as a fundamental human right, yet every day women continue to earn less, challenge their employers in court and wait for legislation.
What is human or right about that? Where is the legislation?