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Nanaimo MP’s push for pay equity adopted in House of Commons

The adoption of a pay equity motion in the House of Commons Wednesday is a solid step toward eliminating the wage gap between men and women doing equal work, says Island MP Sheila Malcolmson.
Sheila Malcolmson.jpg
Nanaimo-Ladysmith NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson

The adoption of a pay equity motion in the House of Commons Wednesday is a solid step toward eliminating the wage gap between men and women doing equal work, says Island MP Sheila Malcolmson.

Malcolmson, the NDP status of women critic and MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, introduced the motion and was supported by the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

“It was exciting and a huge honour and it was very powerful to see almost the whole House rise and stand in support of a motion that would not have been on Parliament’s agenda if we hadn’t pushed the issue,” Malcolmson said in an interview.

The motion applies to the federal public sector and federally regulated industries that would include the banking system, telecommunications, and airlines, Malcolmson said.

Even if those industries are found to be already doing well in exercising pay equity, “this will set the tone at a national level that may fan out to some of the provinces — for example B.C. has no pay equity legislation, whereas Ontario and Quebec have very strong legislation that governs both the private and public sector.”

Influencing how women are paid outside the public sector and federally regulated industries will take years, “but this is a good start,” Malcolmson said.

“I expect we will see quite soon a special committee struck that will have a targeted focus on this issue and, within this term of Parliament, we will have pay equity legislation and we will have implementation of the 2004 recommendations on pay equity that the Liberal task force identified after extensive consultation at that time,” Malcolmson said.

She said because there was such strong support for the motion, she believes a committee will be struck and act quickly.

“There is a great deal of good will in the House, even from the Conservatives,” Malcolmson said.

“A great number of Conservatives stood to speak in favour of implementing pay equity although they didn’t vote for the motion — still more goodwill than I’ve ever heard.”

Malcolmson acknowledged that Pierre Elliott Trudeau laid the groundwork for pay equity and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pushed gender-equality issues — appointing an equal number of men and women to his cabinet, for example — but argued the NDP needed to push the pay equity motion through.

“Pay equity was not in the Liberal election platform and it was not in any mandate letter to any minister,” Malcolmson said.

“There was no indication this was going to be a parliamentary priority, and now it is.”

In 2016, there’s no excuse for women in Canada continuing to be paid substantially less than men, Malcolmson said. “Canada is lagging far behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to pay equity.”

In a message posted to Twitter, Minister for the Status of Women Patty Hajdu said she was happy to support Malcolmson’s motion. “Pay equity is a fundamental human right. We welcome today’s NDP motion on closing the pay gap between men and women.”

ceharnett@timescolonist.com