UPDATED February
23, 2009
Letter
to the Editor From the PEI Federation of Labour Concerning The Public
Sector Equitable Compensation Act
As another International Women’s Day (March 8th ) quickly
approaches, it is once again time to celebrate the milestones and
successes in the battle for equality that women have accomplished here
on PEI, in Canada, and around the world and recommit ourselves to
fighting battles not yet won.
When we look at these successes, we must call to account the female
Cabinet and Backbencher members of the Harper Government. Women, who
have made it into the largely male-dominated political ranks of
Canada’s Federal Government and owe such a large portion of what they
have accomplished to all the battles and successes that have been
fought and won in the fight for women’s equality.
What have they done to honour the work of all those who have fought so
hard to win them the women’s rights that have given them so much? They
have continually and by times vehemently supported their Party’s
continued attacks on these rights. This must end.
Since coming into power, the Harper Government has among other things:
-
Cancelled the Federal-Provincial Child Care Agreements which
according to the recent report by the United Nations Children's Fund
has left Canada ranking last in a comparison of child care services in
25 developed countries. ;
- Cut funding to the Status of Women Canada and removed equality from
their mandate which in turn has removed funding for many groups that do
research and advocate for women’s equality;
- Eliminated funding to the Court Challenges Program which has played a
part in many constitutional equality cases on a wide range of issues
including violence against women, sexual assault, workplace inequities,
and socio-economic rights.
And now they are in the process of bringing forth The Public Sector
Equitable Compensation Act as part of Bill C-10 the Budget
Implementation Act.
The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act will radically change the
rules governing pay equity in the federal public sector and will remove
the right of public sector workers to file pay equity complaints with
the Canadian Human Rights Commission transforming this fundamental
human right into an issue that must be bargained for.
This Draconian bill even goes as far as to impose a $50,000 fine on any
union that encourages or assists their own members in filing a pay
equity complaint, leaving women to fight the system unaided.
The current 11 female Federal Cabinet members including PEI’s own Gail
Shea and the other 12 female Conservative MPs need to become role
models that Canadian women can aspire to emulate and champions for
their gender’s rights rather than the leaders in setting back women’s
rights and equality that they have shown themselves to be.
We urge these Conservative members and the other 45 female MPs in the
Opposition parties, before they vote on Bill C-10, to look at the
salary they are receiving, the salary their male counterparts are
receiving and realize not only what Pay Equity means to them personally
and what they may lose by voting in favour of another Harper attack on
Canadian women but also we ask them to realize that all women in this
country have the fundamental right to expect what they themselves
currently enjoy - equal pay for equal work.
In the end, The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act is a
regressive piece of legislation that will make it nearly impossible for
women in the federal public sector to defend their fundamental human
right to Pay Equity. The PEI Federation of Labour urges all MPs (female
and male) to come together to ensure that the Public Sector Equitable
Compensation Act is removed from the Budget Implementation Act and to
defeat this, the latest Harper attack on Women’s Equality.
Released by Lori MacKay, Vice President in Charge of Women’s Issues for
the PEI Federation of Labour
Email your MP to Oppose the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act
Press
Release Main
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