In this day and age, equality should not be an issue. With all the talk and action on Aboriginal rights and LGBTQI+ rights on the forefront, why are the ladies of this province still being overlooked and not paid equal to their male counterparts?
Last week in Regina, the Official Opposition NDP launched a petition calling on the Sask. Party government to enact pay equity legislation here in the province. Saskatchewan is one of a few provinces that do not currently have pay equity legislation which consequently has one of the highest gender wage gaps in Canada; this results in the systemic gender discrimination in compensation for work that must be corrected with pay equity legislation.
In Regina, women earn on average 85 cents for every dollar that men earn, Nicole Sarauer of the NDP said.
“That is unacceptable,” she said, adding that the NDP would model its pay equity legislation after Ontario’s Pay Equity Act, which mandates that employers pay men and women equal pay for work of equal value, even if their job duties are different.
“It’s unacceptable that, here in Saskatchewan, women face a very different reality when it comes to compensation for their labour when compared to their male counterparts,” said Jennifer Bowes, Official Opposition Critic for the Status of Women. “Yet Premier Moe and his government have been content to sit on their hands and let this issue go unaddressed. It’s time for this government to step up and ensure that this sexist practise is ended once and for all.”
To date, this has not been pursued by the Government of Saskatchewan despite the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission’s recommendation to be proactive and comprehensive pay equity legislation. While the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code prohibits gender-based compensation discrimination, the complaint-driven process puts no positive obligation on employers.
“We have eight female MLAs. We take this representation seriously and we mean business,” said Aleana Young, Official Opposition Critic for Economy and Jobs, “We fight for the women of Saskatchewan every day, meanwhile Scott Moe and the Sask Party have done nothing in 14 years. Time’s up.”
The petition is available at https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/saskndpcaucus/pages/16/attachments/original/1616599895/Pay_Equity_Petition_2021.pdf?1616599895
Petition to the Government of Saskatchewan calling for pay equity legislation
We, the undersigned residents of the Province of Saskatchewan, wish to bring to your attention the following:
- Saskatchewan is one of only four provinces that does not have pay equity legislation.
- Saskatchewan has one of the highest gender wage gaps in Canada, which is the result of systemic gender
discrimination in compensation for work that must be corrected with pay equity legislation. - The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has recommended proactive and comprehensive pay equity
legislation, which has not been pursued by the Government of Saskatchewan. - While the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code prohibits gender-based compensation discrimination, the complaint-driven process puts no positive obligation on employers.
- That while pay equity advocacy primarily seeks to address gender-based wage discrimination, it must also be
mindful of ability-, age-, identity- and race-based wage discrimination.
We, in the prayer that reads as follows, respectfully request that the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan: Call on the Government of Saskatchewan to introduce pay equity legislation.
This petition will be presented to the house within the Legislative Assembly.
It is vital that our government treats everyone justly and it’s important to stand up for all the residents of this province.
By Gary Horseman
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
garyfourtownjournal@gmail.com
Four-Town+ Journal