Standing Committee on the Status of Women

Comité permanent de la condition féminine

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 14, 2018 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women presented its report entitled Women’s Economic Security: Securing the Future of Canada’s Economy in the House of Commons today. In its report, the Committee calls on the Government of Canada to implement measures to increase women’s economic security and ensure their full participation in the Canadian economy. Improving women’s economic security is essential as it contributes significantly to the maintenance and growth of the Canadian economy.

The Committee decided to undertake this study because, although women’s economic security and participation in the Canadian economy has undergone a transformation over the past 50 years and women now make up some 47% of the Canadian labour force, significant barriers to their full and equal participation in the economy remain.

The report is based on the briefs submitted and testimony heard over 22 meetings the Committee held between February 2 and November 9, 2017, and has three key themes: the factors contributing to women’s economic insecurity, measures to increase women’s economic security and measures to increase women’s economic leadership.

The Committee examined a number of issues relating to women’s economic security and their participation in the Canadian economy, including the following:

• the factors contributing to the higher incidence of poverty among women than men;
• the elements that influence women’s income, including the gender pay gap and occupational segregation;
• the effect of unpaid care work, as well as part-time and precarious work, on women’s economic security;
• the effect on women’s economic well-being of federal income security programs;
• the tools to strengthen women’s economic security, including parental leave and child care; and
• the measures and strategies that can be used to increase women’s entry, participation, retention and representation in economic leadership positions, including those in the private and public sectors, on corporate boards, and in the sphere of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The Committee’s report makes 86 recommendations to the Government of Canada in order to increase women’s economic security and leadership in Canada. Many of the recommendations are aimed at combatting gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace and the gender wage gap, and improving access to childcare services. The report also emphasizes the importance of using gender-responsive economic policy-making tools.

In addition, a number of recommendations are intended to foster economic leadership among women in Canada, including women working in traditionally male-dominated professions such as the skilled trades, the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, and entrepreneurship.

The report can be viewed on the Committee’s webpage on the Parliament of Canada website.

The Standing Committee on the Status of Women is composed of 11 Members of Parliament. It is chaired by Karen Vecchio (Elgin–Middlesex–London), and its vice-chairs are Pam Damoff (Oakville North–Burlington) and Sheila Malcolmson (Nanaimo–Ladysmith). The other Committee members are Terry Duguid (Winnipeg South)*, Sean Fraser (Central Nova), Rachael Harder (Lethbridge), Bernadette Jordan (South Shore–St. Margarets), Stephanie Kusie (Calgary Midnapore), Emmanuella Lambropoulos (Saint-Laurent), Eva Nassif (Vimy) and Marc Serré (Nickel Belt).

*Non-voting member, pursuant to Standing Order 104(5).