Submission on Pay Equity

In June 2009, LEAF provided an oral submission on pay equity before the House of Commons Status of Women Committee.

LEAF expressed serious concerns with the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act. LEAF argued that the Act constituted regressive legislation which would substantially erode the fundamental human right of women who work in the federal public sector to equal pay for work of equal value.

LEAF argued that the Act was not consistent with Canada’s statutory, constitutional and international commitments and obligations to women’s substantive equality.

LEAF focused its submission on three issues:

1. The Act’s removal of any effective mechanism to enforce pay equity rights.
2. The broader implications of the legislation, as one of a series of regressive measures detrimentally impacting women’s access to justice and ability to advocate for and enforce their statutory and constitutional equality rights.
3. The Act’s lack of coverage for the 840,000 workers in the federal private service who remained under the Canadian Human Rights Act‘s complaint-based regime, which had its own problems.

Download the submission below.