Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 14/01) - While most advocacy groups and unions support plans to draft human rights legislation, some question whether the laws will have the muscle to make real changes in the workplace.

Executive director for Status of Women Council of NWT Barbara Saunders would like to see proposed territorial human rights legislation include prohibitions for pay discrimination on gender biases and cultural knowledge. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

One sticking point is the government's failure to include a clause supporting equal pay for equal work in relation to what are traditionally considered female-dominated or "pink ghetto" jobs.

Instead, under the current Fair Practices Act women are guaranteed pay-equity only for doing work similar to men. This would mean a female teacher, for example, must be paid an equitable amount to a male teacher with similar work and education experience and job description.

This law, however, does not transcend traditional work roles between different genders.

"The blue jobs are still paid more than the pink jobs," said Union of Northern Workers spokesperson Barbara Wyness. "This does not live up to Canadian human rights legislation."

According to information about the proposed legislation released by the justice ministry last February the "work similar to men" rule would remain the same.

The Canadian Human Rights Act protects government employees with equal value for equal pay, but territorial advocacy groups would like to see all jobs in the NWT protected under pay-equity laws, like those already adopted by other provinces such as B.C. and Ontario.

"My analogy is with zoo-keepers, who are predominantly male, making more money than daycare workers," said Barbara Saunders, executive director for the Status of Women Council NWT. "What is that saying? Animals are valued more highly than children?"

Saunders also criticized the proposed legislation for not making any references to traditional aboriginal knowledge, which she said should be given equal value in scientific studies and environmental assessments, particularly if such studies involve wildlife and cultural history.

Jerry Sutton, acting deputy justice minister, however, cautioned that the proposed legislation is still being looked at and no decisions have been made.

"We don't have a final issue on that (pay equity) at all," said Sutton.

He also said public consultation has gone on all summer long, and it will weigh heavily into the final outcome of any new human rights act.