Women in Canada and around the world are concentrated in the lowest-paid and most undervalued jobs. The gender wage gap in Canada is still staggering, hovering at 31% for both full and part time workers and at 29% to 54% for Indigenous women, racialized and immigrant women and women with disabilities. The new federal Pay Equity Act is expected to come into force in 2020, but it could be years before women are compensated for equal pay violations. The government’s intention to increase the federal minimum wage is welcome and sends a strong signal for provinces and territories to follow suit and improve wages for their lowest-paid workers. Promises to ratify the ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment in the Workplace will bring Canada in line with new global standards. Little progress has been made to hold Canadian companies accountable for labour rights violations in their global business operations and supply chains. Canada lags far behind other jurisdictions—such as France, the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and California—on supply chain or human rights due diligence legislation. Canada should enact human rights due diligence legislation for business that is mandatory, ensures transparency and liability for harm, and includes an effective enforcement mechanism.
