British Columbia says it wants to force employers to pay people of all genders the same money for the same work — just not yet.

Last week, the B.C. government introduced legislation that will eventually require employers to share publicly how much they pay employees of different genders.

Politicians framed the bill as a step towards fairness in a province where men earned roughly 20 per cent more per hour of work in 2021, one of the largest gender wage gaps in Canada.

But critics argue the bill doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t compel employers to close those gaps, unlike laws other provinces and the federal governments already have on the books.

Others question whether Bill 13, the Pay Transparency Act, would actually improve transparency about why women make so much less than men in B.C. or give the government power to close the gap.

“We don’t have the tools to do this now, and this legislation doesn’t give us those tools,” BC Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender said.

MLA Kelli Paddon, the parliamentary secretary for gender equity, said the government is committed to eventually introducing pay equity legislation that requires employers to pay...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiQ2h0dHBzOi8vdGhldHllZS5jYS9OZXdzLzIw...