PRINCE GEORGE – The proof is in the pudding.
That is the assessment by local MLA Shirley Bond with respect to the recent bill introduced in the Legislature around pay equity.
“Well, you know, I think we’re going to have some questions about how it actually works, because one of the things we’ve discovered, you know, with this government is that it’s one thing to say something and it’s completely different when we end up either seeing it in legislation or the follow-up actions. So we want to make sure that the reporting of data is done in an appropriate way. We want to know what that looks like in terms of the collection and how that data is shared.”
The legislation, if passed, will force employers to reveal what the pay is for their employees.
“The idea behind this is that by shining a light on those gaps in many ways it’s a moral suasion thing. It says to employers, you better do something about this.”
The most recent Labour Force Survey noted there will be a million jobs to fill in the decade. During his tenure as Jobs Minister, Ravi Kahlon noted three ways to address the skills shortage and one was getting women back into the workforce. But will pay equity legislation incentivize women to return to work?
“Obviously we need to think of targeted ways to make sure that they are getting the same kinds of opportunities. And the pay is certainly one of those things. But there are a lot of other factors. A critical factor for women is the provision of childcare. And again, you know, we have a government that promised a universal $ 10-a-day daycare program that has simply not been delivered.”
Currently the disparity sits at 17 percent, one of the worst in the country.
