Equality and inclusion in federally regulated industries and workplaces

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• Employment equity
• Pay equity
• Contact us

Employment equity

Canadians have the right to be treated fairly in workplaces free from discrimination. Employment equity promotes equitable representation for the following 4 designated groups in Canada:

• women
• Indigenous peoples^{Footnote 1}
• persons with disabilities, and
• members of visible minorities

Consult the following resources to learn more:

• Workplace Equity Program
• Employment Equity Act
• Equi’Vision: An Employment Equity Tool New
• Regulations Amending the Employment Equity Regulations
• Federal Contractors Program
• Legislated Employment Equity Program
• Employer tools and resources

Pay equity

Canadians have the right to experience workplace compensation practices that are free from gender-based discrimination. Pay equity aims to ensure that employers provide you with equal pay for doing work of equal value.

On October 29, 2018, the federal government introduced the Pay Equity Act (Act) in Parliament as part of Bill C-86, Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2. The Act received Royal Assent on December 13, 2018 and came into force August 31, 2021 alongside Part II.1 of the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Pay Equity Regulations.

The Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner, housed within the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), is responsible for administering and enforcing the Act. On November 1, 2023, Lori Straznicky was appointed as Canada's federal Pay Equity Commissioner and a full-time member of the CHRC for a 5 year term.

The Act requires federally regulated employers with 10 or more employees to take a proactive approach to pay equity. This means taking a closer look at their practices and correcting gender wage gaps within their organizations. The Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner works to promote pay equity and provide support and tools to these organizations so they can fully realize pay equity in their workplaces.

For more information about pay equity, the Act, the Pay Equity Regulations, and your rights, consult the following:

• What is Pay Equity
• Overview of the Pay Equity Act
• Pay Equity Act
• Pay Equity Regulations
• Employee rights
• Pay Equity: Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Canadian Human Rights Tribunal

Contact us

• Employment equity
• Pay equity: Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner

Related links

• Employment Equity Act: Annual Report 2022
• The Pay Equity Commissioner’s 2022 Annual Report to Parliament: Building a Culture of Pay Equity Across the Federal Jurisdiction
• Government response to the report of the Standing Committee on Pay Equity
• Special Committee on Pay Equity
• Report of the Special Committee on Pay Equity
• Employment Equity Achievement Awards
• Federally regulated private-sector employers and Crown corporations