Pay Equity and the UN Commission on the Status of Women

Since it was first announced in November’s Economic and Fiscal Update, I have been following the federal government’s proposed changes to pay equity with a mix of worry and cautious optimism.

Along with many others, I was concerned about the prospect that these changes could be passed into law and the hard-won right to pay equity in the federal public service could be reduced to little more than a bargaining chip.

However, I still held out a bit of hope that, at some point, media attention and public pressure might lead the government to retract their proposal and leave pay equity alone. Unfortunately, they did not.

Bill-C10, which contains the 2009 federal budget, has been passed in the House of Commons and is currently being debated in the Senate. Included in Bill-C10 is the Public Service Equitable Compensation Act (PSECA), which will take away the right of women employees in the federal public service to file complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Instead, pay equity will be the responsibility of collective bargaining between employers and labour unions. This threatens to leave thousands of women without viable options for recourse if their right to pay equity is violated.

While women’s rights are being dismantled at home, on the international front the federal government is attempting to present an image of Canada as a strong defender of women’s equality.
Yesterday, Minister of Status of Women Canada Helena Guergis spoke at the UN Commission on the Status of Women about the role of the federal government in promoting gender equality.

In her address, the Minister is quoted as saying that “Canada is adhering to [UN recommendations] that women are not discriminated against in times of structural change and economic recession” and that “the Government of Canada remains firm in its support for gender equality.”

These statements stand in stark contrast to the very real negative impacts that the current proposed legislation will have for the status of women in Canada.

Thankfully, this issue will not be laid to rest without opposition. While Minister Guergis spoke inside the UN in New York, representatives of Canadian labour unions and women’s organizations gathered outside the building to protest the federal government’s proposed changes to pay equity legislation and for its failure to address the needs of women in the 2009 federal budget.

They announced their intention to file a complaint with the UN Commission on the Status of Women with regards to Bill C-10. Over forty organizations expressed their support for the complaint.

If the complaint is not enough to halt the passing of the PSECA, at the very least it will draw some international criticism to the federal government for its actions.

With International Women’s Day around the corner on March 8, it is more important than ever to reflect upon the status of women in Canada and to advocate for policies that promote greater gender equality.