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By Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone

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SOUND OFF: Women left behind by NDP’s lack of action

Mar 11, 2021 | 10:20 AM

ONE YEAR INTO THE PANDEMIC, we are now in the thick of a “shecession” where women have been bearing the brunt of this crisis on many levels both at home and at work.

In the legislature this week, elected members across party lines celebrated International Women’s Day by recognizing women’s contributions and the challenges they face. Inequalities between men and women are still common at the best of times but this has now been exacerbated by the pandemic.

For one, women tend to take on more of the caregiving duties at home. This can include caring for children, home-schooling and running errands for immunocompromised or elderly parents.

For another, as women make up the majority of the workforce in sectors hard-hit by the pandemic such as hospitality, tourism and retail, they are suffering from a disproportionate share of job losses. For example, the hotel industry — where women make up about 60 per cent of the workforce — has seen 32,000 employees laid off.

Overall, the most recent Statistics Canada figures show that there are 26,900 fewer jobs for women in B.C. today compared to pre-pandemic level in February 2020. In just the past few months alone, women have lost 7,500 jobs. Meanwhile, the labour underutilization rate — a broader measure that includes those who are involuntarily working fewer hours— has risen to 13 per cent for women, up from December’s rate of 9.9 per cent.

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This coming Friday, we will find out the results of the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada. It’s my hope we’ll see some improvement but sadly, trends indicate B.C.’s employment growth has stalled. This is why I continue to call on the NDP government to come up with a sector-by-sector jobs plan and provide immediate economic relief to our distressed labour market. So far they have refused those calls.

Unfortunately, there are other examples of the NDP refusing to take action to improve the lives of women in British Columbia. They seem to show zero interest in closing the gender pay gap in B.C, with our province being one of only four in Canada without pay equity legislation. My BC Liberal colleague, MLA Stephanie Cadieux, has put forward the Equal Pay Reporting Act three times in the Legislature, which would require businesses that employ 50 or more people to disclose an annual breakdown of regular pay to all male and female employees. The NDP has refused to call this bill for debate.

We have also been calling on John Horgan to end the practice of pay discrimination against the 17,000 non-unionized workers — mostly women — who are offering the same level of essential community services as unionized workers, but for less money. They are putting their own health at risk to care for others during the pandemic, and the NDP should be taking care of them appropriately.

This is an NDP government that claims to care about things like a healthy job market, pay transparency and gender equity but their actions say otherwise. You cannot expect the economy to fully recover without helping those most affected by the downturn, including women. John Horgan and the NDP can — and must — do more for them.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.