Enact pay equity legislation
Petitioners ask the House to pass laws requiring proactive pay equity and pay-transparency to ensure equal pay and treatment for women. The government responds that it has enacted proactive Pay Equity and pay-transparency measures.
Why we would sign this petition
- Creates enforceable obligations for employers: laws requiring proactive pay equity and transparency force employers to identify and correct gender pay gaps.
- Improves women’s economic security: higher and fairer pay would help working women and reduce poverty among women and children, including many single-parent families.
- Increases accountability and transparency: mandatory reporting and plans make disparities visible and provide mechanisms to monitor progress.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Compliance costs and administrative burden: implementing pay-equity plans and reporting could be costly and complex for employers.
- May not address root causes: pay equity laws target pay but may not solve occupational segregation or underrepresentation of women in leadership.
- Limited reach and trade-offs: legislation alone may have limited impact without complementary measures like childcare, training or targeted supports.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED We, the undersigned citizens of Canada draw to the attention of the House the following: THAT, WHEREAS despite decades of advocacy and equality written into the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, women in Canada still aren't getting the equal pay and equal treatment they deserve; WHEREAS Canadian women receive 21 cents less than men on every dollar earned for substantially the same work; WHEREAS almost 60% of all women over 15 are part of the paid workforce in Canada, accounting for almost half of all workers; and WHEREAS women and children make up three-quarters of all Canadians living in poverty. Most single- parent families are supported by a working woman, and most of them live below the poverty line. THEREFORE, YOUR PETITIONERS call upon the House of Commons to enact legislation and policies that will promote pay equality and pay equity, and that women in Canada get the equal treatment they deserve.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) Signed by Marie-Gabrielle Ménard In Canada, women still earn on average, 89 cents for every dollar earned by men. This disparity is even wider for underrepresented women, including Indigenous and Black women, and women with disabilities. The Government of Canada is addressing this gap through a range of initiatives. For instance, proactive Pay Equity legislation for federally regulated workplaces came into force on August 31, 2021, requiring employers to ensure equal pay for work of equal value. To support implementation and ensure a comprehensive approach across the public service’s large and diverse workforce, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has been granted extensions to finalize pay equity plans. Any pay increases and interest will be backdated to the original deadline of September 4, 2024. Pay Transparency measures, in effect since January 1, 2021, further aim to raise awareness of wage disparities experienced by women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. With regards to implementation for the federally regulated private sector, through the Pay Equity legislation, companies are required to develop and regularly update their pay equity plans and make them accessible to all employees, and report their progress and compliance to the Pay Equity Commissioner. The role of the Commissioner is to ensure compliance with the Pay Equity Act, provide tools and guidance to employers, employees, and their representatives, and resolve disputes. The Government of Canada is also investing in women’s participation in the economy. Through the Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund, the Government invests in projects that promote women’s economic security and prosperity and seeks to unlock new economic opportunities across the country. For instance, Budget 2025 proposes investments of $382.5 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, with $76.5 million ongoing, to further advance women’s equality in Canada, by improving the economic security of women and girls. The Government also remains committed to the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system, which supports women’s economic participation and has contributed to a record number of women in the labour force. In 2024, women’s labour force participation continued to rise in Canada, reaching 85%. The Government continues to enhance the implementation of Gender-based Analysis Plus across federal departments to ensure policies and programs are responsive to the diverse needs of Canadians. At the same time, it recognizes that more work is needed, including addressing women’s underrepresentation in leadership roles and supporting their continued and active participation in the economy. Response by the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario Signed by Annie Koutrakis The Government strongly believes in the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and the fair treatment of all workers, regardless of gender. That is why we introduced An Act to Establish Proactive Pay Equity in the Federal Public and Private Sectors (the Pay Equity Act) in the House of Commons on October 29, 2018. The Pay Equity Act and associated regulations received Royal Assent on December 13, 2018, and came into force on August 31, 2021. The Pay Equity Act establishes a proactive pay equity regime to protect the right to equal pay for work of equal value in federally regulated workplaces, including the federal private and public sectors, parliamentary workplaces, and the Prime Minister's and ministers’ offices. It covers approximately 5,000 employers and 1.4 million employees, or approximately 0.4% of workplaces across Canada and 8% of the Canadian workforce. The pay equity regime requires federally regulated employers with ten or more employees to take proactive steps to correct gender wage gaps within their organizations. Among other obligations, employers are required to establish a pay equity plan within three years of becoming subject to the Pay Equity Act and ensure plans are updated at least every five years. The objective of the plan is to identify and eliminate wage gaps for jobs that are commonly held by women and receiving less pay than their male counterparts. The Pay Equity Act is administered and enforced by the Pay Equity Commissioner, who is a member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). The current Commissioner was officially appointed to serve a five-year term on November 1, 2023. The Commissioner tables an annual report to Parliament detailing the activities that have been undertaken to meet this mandate. The most recent report from the 2024-25 fiscal year “Pay equity compliance: Carving the path forward” can be found here. In June 2024, the Government published two sets of regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The first set of regulations, Regulations Amending the Pay Equity Regulations (Administrative Monetary Penalties and Technical Amendments), strengthens the Commissioner’s ability to encourage compliance with the Pay Equity Act. The second set of regulations, Application of the Pay Equity Act to Ministers’ Offices Regulations and the Order Grouping Ministers’ Offices for the Purpose of a Pay Equity Plan, supports the application of the Pay Equity Act in ministers’ offices. On September 3 and 4, 2024, most employers were required to post their first final pay equity plan and, if applicable, make any necessary increases in compensation owed. A small number of employers requested and were granted extensions to post their first final plan. Additionally, those employers who posted their first final plan were required to submit their first annual statement to the Commissioner by June 30, 2025. While the legislation and regulations are an important step towards closing the gender wage gap, a proactive pay equity regime alone cannot close the gap. It needs to be part of a broader array of policy tools to address the gender wage gap and advance gender equality in the workplace. In addition to pay equity, the Government has taken action on a variety of legislative and non-legislative measures to address the issues facing women in the workplace, including pay transparency through pay gap reporting. In 2021, amendments were made to the Employment Equity Act and Regulations that require federally regulated employers with 100 or more employees to report on aggregated pay gaps experienced by four designated groups – women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. Pay gap reporting is about making information more accessible to the public to raise awareness of pay gaps affecting designated groups. This initiative will help identify barriers faced by designated groups and address their underrepresentation in the workforce. It will encourage employers to examine their practices and show leadership in reducing pay gaps. On June 1, 2022, employers reported their first pay gap information for the 2021 reporting year. This information was published for the first time on February 2, 2024, on the government’s new website, Equi’Vision. The online information includes comparable pay gap information for each employer comprising mean and median hourly pay gaps, the mean and median bonus pay gaps, and the mean and median overtime pay and hours gaps. The website displays data provided by employers annually to inform the public and empower them to make the right decisions. This will keep employers accountable for their practices.