Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate today on the motion put forward by the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith addressing pay equity.
This side of the House supports the principle of pay equity. I am proud to be part of a government that previously recognized the importance of pay equity and introduced amendments in 1977 to the Canadian Human Rights Act to enshrine this important principle.
As the Minister of Status of Women, I want to first say how proud I am to be part of a government that is making gender diversity and gender equality priorities in our government. Advancing gender diversity is not just the right thing to do for women; it is the smart thing to do for our economy. Women's contribution to the economy was $130 billion in 2012, approximately 7% of our GDP. If we make gender diversity a priority in all sectors of the economy, this contribution to Canada's growth and prosperity will be even greater.
Our government is strongly committed to ensuring the full participation of women in the economic, social, and democratic life of Canada, and we are committed to the principle of pay equity. We have clearly stated that we want to make meaningful progress on reducing the wage gap between men and women across this country.
Making progress on this issue is vital for a number of reasons. First, our international ranking is falling. Canada now ranks 28th out of 34 OECD countries for the wage gap between male and female full-time, full-year workers. Canada ties with the U.S. for the 11th spot out of 17 comparable western economies and earns a C grade from the Conference Board of Canada for the gender wage gap. Canada's level of overall income inequality is now higher than the OECD average. The increasing share of female lone-parent families in the workforce, those women who make lower incomes, has contributed to this trend.
The makeup of the workforce is changing. Our economy is changing. Women are often the primary earners for their families, but whether they are or not, women's earnings have ripple effects through the local economy. Their earnings can drive the essential economic decisions of their families, decisions that begin with housing, education, child care, clothing, food, and so much more. The opposite is also true. When women are shortchanged in the workforce, not only does their situation and that of their families suffer, so does the local economy in which they live.
What kind of gender wage gap are we discussing today? While definitions can vary, most Canadians would know that there is a gap and would recognize it as the difference between the total of what men earn in our country compared to women. However, while that may sound like a rather simple calculation in a large diverse economy like Canada's, many factors contribute to the gender wage gap as it exists today. As a result, it requires a multi-faceted response.
Enshrining pay equity as a right is part of the solution, as it allows us to acknowledge the undervaluing of work traditionally performed by women and to consider ways to address it, but it is only a small part. The gender wage gap is a complex issue with multiple causes, and as a consequence, no single action by an individual or an organization or a government will close this gap. It is going to take all Canadians working together.
Even as we consider ways of closing the gender wage gap, we cannot ignore the reality that in Canada today women are advancing into more positions of economic opportunity, even as the gender gap persists. Today women represent nearly half of the workforce in Canada. In the public and not-for-profit sectors, women hold many top leadership positions. Women are entrepreneurs, senior executives, CEOs, and board members across the country.
Over time, attitudes toward women in the workplace have begun to change. Across our country, the sectors of the economy that are considered non-traditional careers for women are growing fewer every day. Women now make up the majority of enrolments in college programs, and the proportion of women is even greater among graduates.
Since the early 1990s, women have made up the majority of full-time students enrolled in undergraduate university programs. Yet as I stand in the House listing the accomplishments of women in the public sector, the private sector, trades, and professional careers, a wage gap persists.
Last week we celebrated the 100th anniversary of a woman's right to vote in Manitoba, yet women are still not equal when it comes to recognition in wages.
It is 2016, and with all of these advancements, we know even more progress is necessary. We can do better.
I recognize and acknowledge that there are a range of factors contributing to the persistent wage gap in Canada. In the past, Canada's gender wage gap closed naturally as more women entered the labour market. However, progress has slowed since the early 1990s. Factors affecting the wage gap today include the fact that women's labour market participation is often limited by their roles as mothers and caregivers. Women's employment generally remains concentrated in lower-paying sectors, such as retail and social services.
As we know from the statistics, women are less likely to reach more senior level positions within many industries and occupations. Some further issues persist, such as overrepresentation of women in part-time work, bias and discrimination in the workplace, the lengthy litigation that has characterized pay equity, and of course women's greater share of unpaid work.
Although women have traditionally done much of the unpaid work in a household, men are taking on an increasing role. This said, women still provide the majority of high-intensity care of 15 hours a week or more. Their overrepresentation in unpaid work leaves women at a disadvantage in Canada's increasingly competitive labour market.
How do we turn the situation around and ensure that we make more progress as we look to the future? One way we can make progress is leading by example. That is why our government started at the top. The Prime Minister made a historic appointment by appointing the first ever federal cabinet with an equal number of women and men last November.
We need to change attitudes and we need a change in the conversation. I was extremely proud to represent a party that encouraged Canadians to ask women to run for politics. Women were empowered to enter the political discourse, and this made a difference. More women were elected to the House than ever in history. However, it is not enough. Continued purposeful actions with intent will lead to comprehensive change.
Next month, we will celebrate International Women's Day. We know that the empowerment of women is an essential ingredient toward achieving gender equality. As part of International Women's Day, we will promote the vision that women and girls who are empowered are better equipped to fulfill their potential for themselves, their family, their community, and their country. However, we must move beyond vision and into action together. Therefore, as a government, we are also committed to advancing more women into leadership and decision-making roles.
In the coming months, we will engage with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to promote increased representation of women in the kinds of leadership and decision-making positions that will increase their opportunities to succeed and to prosper. We believe in ensuring that the needs of women and girls are fully understood and supported as we design new policies, programs and legislation that serve all Canadians.
For this reason, we will be applying a gender lens to the work we do. We intend to ensure that the decisions we make and the initiatives we put into place take into account the different impacts they will have on women compared to men. This will help ensure that the actions we take are effective in supporting women and girls.
Today, we received the report from the Auditor General. We accept that some progress has been made in implementing gender-based analysis, or GBA, as it is referred to across the federal government. We also agree that much more work is needed. We are looking at the Auditor General's report as a renewed call to action.
Another area focuses on direct actions that can be taken to address the specific barriers that affect labour market participation by women. This is why we are committed to addressing issues that affect women in the workforce and contribute to the gender wage gap, including child care, better access to flexible work arrangements, and more accessible home care. These efforts will have a significant impact on Canadian workers, in particular women who are disproportionately impacted by care responsibilities.
In order to close the gender wage gap, we will need the support of our provincial and territorial partners. To that end, we are collaborating with our partners on innovative ways to address the gender wage gap. Our government is closely following the current work of our colleagues seeking to address the gender wage gap. This includes the province of Ontario, which is currently conducting consultations to inform a provincial gender wage gap strategy, and other provinces that are making progress on this issue as well.
Finally, I would like to spend a few moments describing some of the important support that Status of Women Canada provides to create new economic opportunities for women in Canada.
Through Status of Women Canada, the federal government supports projects that enhance the capacity of women and girls to identify and respond to the challenges they face in achieving their economic potential.
Programs such as the women's empowerment network demonstrate the potential of women who are well supported. Recently, I met two women who, as part of the network, had broken the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
One of the women overcame her substance use problems and, in her words, left the system, a system that she believed gave her signs that she did not deserve more.
The second woman told me that she had never realized that raising her daughter in any way except through social assistance could be an option for her. She told me that, now, after attending the program, she had started her own business and was modelling her entrepreneurial spirit for her daughter.
From skilled trades and technical professions to new leadership and mentorship opportunities, we are supporting projects across the country that make a real difference for Canadian women.
We are also supporting projects in sectors of the economy, such as construction and mining, where women have been traditionally under-represented. Nowhere is this issue more evident than in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics industries.
Status of Women Canada funds programs like the society for Canadian women in science and technology, an innovative program that matches women and girls pursuing science and technology careers with women professionals in their sector. Programs like these provide valuable guidance and encouragement for women to succeed in fields that have been traditionally male dominated.
By recognizing that our economy is stronger when our workplaces and industries are more diverse from construction sites to corporate boardrooms, we are creating a more inclusive definition of Canadian prosperity that will ensure the tremendous talents and skills of women and girls are fully represented in every sector of society.
I would like to describe just one more initiative, among many, that the Status of Women Canada is supporting.
The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity has worked with the women's program at Status of Women Canada since its beginning in 1998. As a result, the organization has now become a group of 800 individuals and 91 organizations advancing pay equity issues in the public and private sectors in New Brunswick.
In closing, I want to go back to something I said earlier. Ensuring equal pay for equal work is only one small piece of the puzzle. No single individual, or organization, or level of government will be able to single-handedly solve the gender wage gap in our country. It is too important and it is too complex for that. However, I am confident that if we work together, we can and we will increase economic opportunities for women in our country, help close the gender wage gap, and inspire a new generation of women and women and girls at the same time.
This is the smart thing to do, to promote the growth of our economy while supporting the economic advance of women. If we do this right, we will build a country in which women and girls have every opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential. It will also lead to the kind of gender diversity and gender equality that improves the lives of women and girls, their families, and their communities from coast to coast to coast.