September 18 marks International Equal Pay Day.  

A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) confirms that women in Canada still make $19,000 less a year than men, on average, a gap of 28 per cent. Collectively, that's $200 billion in lost wages every year. For Indigenous women, racialized women, women with disabilities, caregivers, and workers in female-dominated and lower-paid jobs, the gap is even wider.  

The pay equity plan covering federal public service workers, including everyone employed directly by the federal government, was due in 2024. But the government couldn’t get the job done in time. They were granted an extension, with no consequences, until August 31, 2027. That's a three-year extension. Every year of delay is another year women get paid less for the same work. Justice delayed is justice denied.  

Delay without accountability has real costs. At CFIA, a pay equity committee did the work. Workers and the employer reached an agreement. A deadline was set, but then the government interfered and delayed it anyway, putting $15.9 million in pay equity adjustments for women workers on hold. That's what happens when there is no accountability. 

Territorial government workers continue to be exempt from the federal Pay Equity Act for no justifiable reason.  

Women in Canada need full and proactive pay equity coverage at the federal and provincial or territorial levels. Access to equal pay for work of equal value should not depend on which legislation you work under or which employer you work for.  

What we're demanding 

• A funded federal Pay Equity Commissioner with the power to hold employers accountable, not just watch from the sidelines 
• A real seat at the table for workers and unions, with clear information at every step 
• Coverage for every federal worker, including territorial government workers in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut 
• Proactive pay equity legislation for every province and territory 

Read the CCPA report

The CCPA report shows exactly how wide the gap still is, and who's paying the price. Read it and share it with your co-workers and your networks. The more people who know the real numbers, the harder it is for Treasury Board to keep stalling.