Peggy Sattler MPP, London West

QUEEN'S PARK — MPP Peggy Sattler (London West) and MPP Jill Andrew (Toronto-St. Paul's) made the following statement to mark International Pay Day in Ontario:
 
"Women deserve equity in pay, health care, education, and opportunities. As we mark International Equal Pay Day in Ontario, we acknowledge the tens of thousands of women who are underpaid and undervalued for their work, who earn less than their male counterparts, and less than they deserve. 
 
The gender wage gap remains a significant, pervasive problem in Ontario: In 2020, women earned 89 cents for every dollar made by men. That gap is larger for racialized women, Indigenous women, women who are newcomers, women with disabilities, trans women and non-binary folks. 

Previous governments have failed to take action to close this gap.
 
COVID-19 disproportionately impacted women, in particular Black, Indigenous and racialized women, those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, single parents, people living with disabilities and those who are low-income. It was predominantly women who did double duty working, parenting, or supervising online learning without child care; who were forced to give up their jobs to stay home with little ones.
 
It is predominantly women — and often women who are racialized or are recent immigrants — who do the essential work of delivering health care, seniors' care, and child care to our loved ones. And it is often women, and often racialized women, who work in frontline sectors like retail, hospitality and service. Their work is too often underfunded, with workers denied fair wages and decent conditions like paid sick leave.
 
This government stopped the Pay Transparency Act from being implemented. Bill 124 suppresses wages in women-dominated caring sectors like health care. He continues to use public money to fight Ontario's midwives in court. He is pushing ahead with new legislation that violates women workers’ collective bargaining rights and will gut the Pay Equity Act.
 
We won't stop fighting to close the wage gap. We will ensure good wages and stable jobs with benefits to health care workers like nurses and personal support workers; we'll repeal Bill 124, invest in a feminist COVID-19 recovery, and stop fighting our midwives in court for the pay they deserve."