Productive meeting with Federal Pay Equity Commissioner Karen Jensen

Fellow members,

On December 11, 2019, I met with Canada’s first Federal Pay Equity Commissioner, Karen Jensen. She was appointed in September 2019 and is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the new Pay Equity Act, which:

“Creates a proactive pay equity regime that will ensure that women and men working in federally regulated workplaces, including the federal public and private sectors, parliamentary workplaces and the Prime Minister's and Ministers' offices, receive equal pay for work of equal value. Introduced on October 28, 2018, the legislation received Royal assent on December 13, 2018 and is expected to come into force in 2020.”(*)

During our meeting, I emphasized the need for ongoing consultation with all bargaining agents representing federal employees, to ensure the development of appropriate regulations that will effectively support the intent of the Act. The Commissioner seemed very interested in finding ways to engage unions, government and employers around the issue. In this regard, we discussed the best ways to support her work.

I also believe that pay equity plans should be coherent for all public service and federally-regulated sectors of the economy, to avoid a range of applications and interpretations across individual industries or departments. This is particularly important given that thousands of women who will benefit from this legislation are currently working in non-unionised workplaces (for example, in the banking sector).

Pay equity is a fundamental right for all Canadians, so I hope that the Commissioner will show strong leadership on this issue, and use her position to raise awareness of the new law and the responsibilities of both unions and employers.

I look forward to an enduring dialogue with the Commissioner, and I will report back to our members on a regular basis as more information becomes available.

Better Together!

Debi Daviau,
President

(*) Employment and Social Development Canada news release, September 10, 2019

Published on 23 December 2019

3 May 2019

Message from the President – Flooding

On behalf of all PIPSC members, I want to express our support and encouragement to our fellow members and all of those currently affected by the extensive flooding across the country. Many of our members have been directly impacted as a result of the flooding and evacuations.

20 March 2019

Message from the President - Budget 2019: A Progressive Disappointment

It’s hard not to see the latest federal budget as a pre-election platform. It’s equally hard not to see it as a progress report on the “real change” promised during the last election.

5 March 2019

PIPSC continues to fight for pension protection at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Protecting our members’ pensions remains a top priority for PIPSC. On February 26, 2019 CRPEG President Jonathan Fitzpatrick was joined by Canadian Alliance of Nuclear Workers (CANW) representatives Steven Schumann and Matt Wayland in a meeting with three members of the Opposition on Parliament Hill. The issue: the return of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories workers into a public service pension plan.

28 February 2019

Do Better than Phoenix: pay now, not later

The news this week that it will take a further three to five years to clean up the Phoenix backlog, and 10 or more years to stabilize the system, makes it obvious that on the third anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system we should be laser-focused on implementing its replacement as soon as possible.

21 February 2019

Bringing PIPSC’s Priorities to the Hill – PIPSC Lobby Day 2019 a Huge Success!

On Tuesday February 5th PIPSC members were on Parliament Hill to discuss the importance of the critical public services we deliver to Canadians. A delegation of close to 30 members, representing a range of Groups and Regions, met with over 30 Parliamentarians. It was a unique opportunity to bring key priorities directly to the decision makers.

20 February 2019

PIPSC submits comments on draft legislative proposals related to salary overpayments

PIPSC recently submitted comments to Finance Canada’s public consultation into draft legislative proposals related to salary overpayments.