The Coalition for Pay Equity has launched a new microsite to rally women in New Brunswick for the upcoming election.
Coalition officials said this is intended to encourage engagement with candidates about pay equity.
Chair Raphaëlle Valay-Nadeau stated New Brunswick women are still underpaid because there is no pay equity legislation for the private sector.
Valay-Nadeau said when they go to the polls this fall, pay equity must be an issue at the ballot box.
“We encourage everyone to visit the microsite to learn more about their right to pay equity, discover easy ways to take action, and help make a difference for thousands of New Brunswickers,” said Valey-Nadeau.
According to the coalition, women in New Brunswick are facing the same rising living expenses as their male peers, but they do so with far fewer financial means.
The coalition also reports that 52 per cent of women have low incomes, 57 per cent earn minimum wage, and 76.62 per cent are single parents.
Most of these women are also employed in low-paying, female-dominated roles, and the coalition believes this reality provides a compelling reason for women to champion pay equity legislation in the private sector.
They believe the cost-of-living crisis stems from the failure of wages to keep pace with inflation.
In 2022, women’s median income decreased from $37,000 in 2021 to $35,600, marking a decline of 3.8 per cent, when factoring in inflation at 7.3 per cent, their purchasing power diminished by 11.1 per cent.
“The first step in correcting this injustice is to ensure that all women-dominated jobs are paid their fair value, at the very least,” added Valay-Nadeau.
“This means passing pay equity legislation for the private sector, where over 60 per cent of New Brunswick women work. The province and the population desperately need it, but we lack the political will to make it happen.”
The coalition says the NDP pledged to implement pay equity legislation for the private sector in its 1987 platform, marking the first time this commitment was made.
The Green Party has also championed this cause since its inception in 2010. In contrast, the Liberal Party only introduced this issue in 2018 but chose to omit it from their 2020 platform.
Meanwhile, the Progressive Conservative Party last expressed support for private-sector legislation back in 1983, when Premier Richard Hatfield advocated for it. Since then, the party has not revisited this legislative option.
“Successive governments have denied women their right to pay equity in the private sector. And until pay equity is legislated for this sector, New Brunswick women will continue to pay the price of pay inequity,” said Valay-Nadeau.
“The next provincial election is our best chance to pressure each party to commit to pay equity legislation.”
