Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this very important day and the excellent choice of the opposition day subject matter encourages us to allow as many people as possible to speak in the House. Presumably that is why we went ahead with what would seem to be a contradictory situation. I thank you for your openness in accepting the decision of the House.
I think the time has come to renew our commitment to women's economic self-sufficiency and become even more dedicated to achieving economic equality and equity in the labour market.
It is a fact that women's equality, and equity and justice for all can only be achieved through economic independence. We are also aware that economic equality is both the basis and the measure of the status of women in our society.
Women must have a place in the job world, receive equal pay for work of equal value and contribute their fair share to our collective wealth.
I feel privileged to be part of a government which is determined to accelerate the advancement of economic opportunities for women. I am honoured to serve under a Prime Minister who is committed to that goal.
The Liberal philosophy has always been based on fairness, equity and social justice. The Liberal tradition is rich in accomplishments and success toward women's equality.
The last Liberal government brought us the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and initiated the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment in 1983. The same government appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court of Canada, the first woman Speaker of the House and the first woman Governor General of Canada.
Now in a little more than 100 days our Prime Minister has appointed the first woman Deputy Prime Minister, the first woman Government Leader in the Senate and the first woman Clerk of the Privy Council.
For the first time we have had a government sensitive to the different impact of programs and policies on women. It is a government willing to ensure that gender perspective is taken into consideration in all the proposed changes whether they are fiscal, social or juridical in nature.
We are aware that women make a tremendous contribution to our society and our economy. The economic disparities that affect women however, are related to a number of factors.
First of all, women do much work that is not remunerated. Whether they do volunteer work in the community or take care of elderly parents, all women spend a significant part of their lives helping others without payment, out of love and dedication.
Second, women today still shoulder more than their share of the responsibility for their families and their homes. I am often amazed to see how young men, and especially young fathers, share parental and household tasks. According to the statistics, however, women still do most of the work.
The third disparity hinges on the kind of jobs where women tend to be concentrated, the so-called pink ghettos. In employment sectors like office work, sales or services, 80 per cent or more of the employees are women. Generally speaking, these jobs do not pay as well as jobs in sectors where men are more numerous.
Finally, women face attitude problems. When they mention cases of clearly discriminatory behaviour, the answer is often: "I do not see what the problem is". I am afraid people will have to learn to see, and this is particularly true in cases of sexual harassment and sometimes even in cases of violence against women.
I hope that every member in the House realizes how important it is for our country that women achieve economic equality. It is a matter of fairness and justice but it is also a true economic issue for all Canadians. In times of economic restructuring and increased international competitiveness, we have to make use of the full potential of all our citizens.
I wish my hon. colleague had included in her motion the other designated categories of Canadians who are also struggling on the road toward equality, both socially and economically. I am referring to visible minorities, aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities. Those are areas where I must be an advocate at all times and members will agree being an advocate for those people is very important. In each one of these groups there are women who must face double and sometimes triple factors of discrimination. Women politicians have a particular responsibility and a special opportunity to break down these barriers.
We can reach out to other women. We can help level the political playing field for them. We can call for action and get action. It may not always be as fast as we would wish. We can do this in partnership with men and we can do this from both our riding perspective as well as the perspective of our province and our country. That is our job. The total country is ours.
That brings me to the second part of the motion presented by my friend from Quebec, who is asking the government to implement measures, in areas of federal jurisdiction, to guarantee women equity in employment, wages and living conditions.
First, I would like to remind my colleague that, in our famous red book, we made three definite commitments in that respect.
To start with, for the Employment Equity Act to be really effective, it must apply to the largest number possible so as to broaden its impact. I believe that members will agree with me on that. Now, for my second point.
We will through our human rights legislation enlarge the legislative authority to initiate investigations of employment equity issues.
Third, federal contractors should be subject to mandatory compliance with the principles of the Employment Equity Act.
I remember when that act came into the House. It had some very big holes in it. I hope, as we put in a mandatory review period which is coming up shortly, that we will have filled those
holes with legislation before we even get to the review stage because they were very obvious by their absence.
We believe that the federal contractors program presents a good opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the principle of employment equity. The message is loud and clear. If one wants to do business with the federal government, one must implement employment equity in the workplace. That means fair jobs based on merit and those based on merit will get a first choice and open access to that job application.
As I have mentioned before in the House, this rule applies to our infrastructure program as well. Our representatives at the selection committee have all been instructed to look into the employment equity aspect of every project and to take this into account in their final recommendations.
I believe that this plan toward a more equitable working environment for women answers my colleague's motion for the most part. She knows, like every Canadian knows by now, that if it is in the red book it will happen because we are now quickly turning our promises into action.
I believe that the plan I just outlined directly answers the request made by my colleague from Quebec in her motion.
However, I would like to add a couple of points. First of all, I firmly believe that legislation, agreements, regulations and policy statements are useful, if not essential, to bring us closer to economic equality and social justice.
Nonetheless, I am convinced that without a reasonable consensus among citizens and without the active participation of all Canadians, we will progress at a snail's pace. However, if we all strive towards the same end, in a joint effort, we will progress by leaps and bounds.
Therefore, I would suggest to Canadians that they put this International Women's Day to good use by drawing up a list of initiatives we could take to improve the status of women in our country.
Government cannot do it all. It takes everyone to participate, men and women in all sectors of our society.
After seeing, these last few days, business and union leaders jointly and severally approve a recommendation package aimed at improving women's working and living conditions, I cannot help thinking that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is only a matter of time.
My second thought deals with a degree of opportunities. I am dedicated to pay equity and enhancing working conditions for women, but first women have to be able to find a job. This is where this government is being the most helpful to women. By making job creation and growth its top priority, the government is providing women with the basic essential opportunity to reach out for economic independence and equality.
I have to point to the small and medium sized business undertakings in which we are going to ensure access to capital, where over 30 per cent of those businesses belong to women, where they are twice as successful as men and where 85 per cent of all new jobs are created in the country. This will indicate to everyone that we have a strong commitment to women.
We on this side of the House believe that a strong economy is the key to women's economic independence and we believe that a strong economy is based upon the full and fair participation of all our citizens. It is true that the greatest resource we have in the country is grey matter, intellectual property, and 50 per cent of it rests in the heads of women.
This government knows that for Canada to prosper it must take full benefit of all the talents of all of our citizens and ensure that all Canadians are treated with fairness and equity. This is precisely what we intend to do.
On February 7, 1994 the leader of the government in the House set forth the principle that the decision of this government as to how to vote on any motion would be determined on the basis of the merits of the motion. In accordance with that principle, in accordance with openness and right of obligations and actions in this House, and in keeping with the spirit of parliamentary reform, I am happy to inform the House that it is the intention of the government to support the motion now before us.
