REGINA – Today, on Equal Pay Day, the Official Opposition launched a petition calling on the Sask. Party government to enact pay equity legislation here in the province. Saskatchewan is one of the few provinces that does not currently have pay equity legislation and consequently 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.
“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 practice is ended once and for all.”
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has recommended proactive and comprehensive pay equity legislation, which to date 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.
“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 here and will be presented to the house within the Legislative Assembly.
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