This internal report by Status of Women Canada, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act says that Canada is falling behind other developed countries on women's equality issues. The report shows Canada to be in bottom when it comes to the pay gap between men and women (4th from the bottom of 34 OECD countries) while child care and parental leave are well below average. On the wage gap, the report notes that “women have hit a brick wall”.
Other issues identified are the absence of a national strategy on violence against women and gender equality in elected representation in Parliament, where Canada stands 57th.
The report is dated Feb 10 2015. Five pages of "policy implications" are blacked out.
Highlights include:
-More women than ever before are engaged in Canada's workforce (48% of the workforce), contributing an estimated $130 billion to the national GDP over the last 25 years.
-Women between the ages of 45 and 54 earn on average about $23,600 less than men in the same cohort, which is virtually unchanged from where it was five years ago, although the gap is narrower than in 2000.
-Canada's investments in child care payments and parental leave benefits are %17 less than the average of comparable industrialized economies.