On February 14 th 2005, NAWL and the Pay Equity Network launched our campaign for proactive pay equity legislation at the Famous Five monument on Parliament Hill. The network sent a Valentine’s Day card to every MP and Senator to remind them that Pay Equity is at the Heart of Equality .

Liberal Cabinet Ministers who have expressed their support for pay equity will be under scrutiny in the upcoming weeks to see if they make good on their commitment.

In October of this year, the Supreme Court of Canada found in NAPE vs. Newfoundland and Labrador that it was acceptable for provincial governments to violate women’s equality and human rights if they claim an impending fiscal crisis. Women in Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed across the country, reject this dangerous precedent.

All three opposition parties spoke out today in favour of a new federal pay equity law after meeting with representatives of the Pay Equity Network, a coalition of central labour bodies, unions, women’s organizations and provincial pay equity groups, who were in Ottawa to lobby for a new law.

On average, women still earn less than men regardless of their occupation, age or education. Today, women earn 72.5 cents for every dollar a man earns. For women of colour, Aboriginal women, and women with a disability, the wage gap is even greater.

There is a wealth of information online on women’s economic security in Canada and factors contributing to the feminization of poverty. We have compiled a database of articles that can easily be seen here.