Increase pay equity funding
Petitioners ask the federal government to fund the pay-equity office, fully resource and finalize the CPA pay-equity plan, and set an order‑in‑council date to apply the Act in the territories. The government responds that Treasury Board is developing the CPA plan with resources and an Aug 31, 2027 deadline, and that territorial consultations are required.
Why we would sign this petition
- Increased funding would let the Pay Equity Office process complaints and audits faster, addressing delays the petition cites and helping close gender and intersectional pay gaps.
- Fully resourcing and finishing the CPA plan would secure pay adjustments and lump sums for affected public servants, producing concrete remedies for unequal pay.
- Setting a Governor‑in‑Council date for the territories would end their current exemption and ensure the Act applies consistently across Canada.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- The measures would require additional federal spending and staffing, which may compete with other budget priorities.
- Treasury Board says it has allocated resources and needs time to develop an accurate CPA plan; more funding could duplicate or misalign with that work.
- Territorial governments preferred initial exclusion and the government says consultations are needed; imposing a date could conflict with local arrangements or preferences.
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 Government of Canada WHEREAS: - The Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner found that in 2024, women earned 87¢ for every $1 earned by men; - According to the Pay Equity Commissioner's 2024-2025 Annual Report to Parliament, the pay gap is even larger for Black, Indigenous, and other racialized women, and women with disabilities; - The Pay Equity Act passed by Parliament in December 2018 has been in effect since August 31, 2021; - The Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner does not have the resources to exercise all of the powers conferred on it by the Pay Equity Act, and this is slowing down the processing and resolution of complaints and disputes, hindering the production and dissemination of the information and guidance that complainants and unions need, and repeatedly delaying audits, among other things; - The governments of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut continue to be exempt from the Pay Equity Act until an order in council is issued; and - The Treasury Board of Canada, as an employer subject to the Pay Equity Act, has a responsibility to establish a pay equity plan that is fully compliant with the act, but also to provide sufficient funding for and prioritize the establishment of the plan. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the federal government to: - Increase the funding for the Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner to enable it to be more efficient, particularly in terms of processing complaints and auditing employer compliance more quickly; - Provide adequate resources and funding to the pay equity committee of the core public administration (CPA), while also urgently completing the CPA pay equity plan to ensure that affected public servants receive equal pay for work of equal value without delay; and - Issue an order in council setting out the date on which the Pay Equity Act will come into force in the three territories.
Government response
Response by the President of the Treasury Board Signed by Tom Osborne Treasury Board is the employer for all employees within the core public administration. With a workforce of more than 270,000 employees across approximately 70 departments and agencies, it is the largest organization subject to the Pay Equity Act. The scope of work undertaken within the core public administration is equally extensive with over 630 job classes, reflecting the breadth and diversity of the needs of the country it serves. Completion of the core public administration (CPA) pay equity plan urgently On behalf of the Treasury Board, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) is responsible for facilitating the development of the pay equity plan for the core public administration. The plan is being created by a dedicated pay equity committee made up of employer representatives, representatives of non-unionized employees and union representatives (bargaining agents). Each bargaining agent is required to select at least one representative on the CPA pay equity committee. The primary goal of a pay equity plan is to identify and address pay gaps between jobs predominantly held by women and those held by men when the work performed is of equal value. The Pay Equity Commissioner granted an extension of time to post the pay equity plan for the core public administration, and the deadline is August 31, 2027. The core public administration’s pay equity plan is being developed as fast as reasonably possible. However, adequate time is required to complete the work and accurately identify and redress gender-based compensation gaps. Providing adequate funding to the core public administration (CPA) pay equity committee As indicated in TBS’s 2025-26 departmental plan, under its core responsibility as the employer, TBS has committed to continue to develop the pay equity plan for the core public administration through the pay equity committee. TBS is confident that it has allocated sufficient resources to the pay equity exercise. As indicated in its departmental plan, TBS has funding and human resources in place to fulfill its employer core responsibility. TBS has and will continue to ensure that the committee has the necessary information and resources, including access to third-party expertise to perform their work as members of the committee. Affected public servants receiving equal pay for work of equal value without delay All increases in compensation owing to employees in predominantly female job classes will be payable the day after the final pay equity plan is posted. In addition, because Treasury Board was granted an extension by the Pay Equity Commissioner to post the final pay equity plan, employees in these job classes will also be paid a lump sum with interest. The lump sum covers the time period for which the extension was granted and is also payable the day after the posting of the final pay equity plan. Response by the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario Signed by Annie Koutrakis Federal legislation generally applies in the territories unless specifically excluded. The Labour Program consulted with the territorial governments of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut in 2017 during consultations on the development of the pay equity framework and each territory indicated their preference to be excluded from the federal legislation. As a result, the Act was drafted so that territories would be exempt from its application until a date specified by the Governor in Council (GiC). Before GiC can issue an order, consultations need to take place with respective territories and the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) to gain a better understanding of the existing application of pay equity in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, and whether there is interest in diverging from the status quo. For reference, the following currently applies to the territories in terms of Pay Equity: Yukon: Pay equity is covered under their respective territorial legislation. Northwest Territories: Pay equity is covered under their respective territorial legislation. Nunavut: Pay equity is covered under the complaint-based Canadian Human Rights Act.