The Employment Equity Act Review

Each June, employers covered under the Employment Equity Act submit annual reports. These reports describe the employment situation of the four designated groups (women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorites), and the progress that these employers have made toward achieving an equitable workforce during the year. This document consolidates and analyses these reports. It consists of four chapters that present: the steps that employers took to achieve a representative workforce; economic and labour market conditions; the designated group profiles; and the assessment of employers' results. A consolidation of employers' reports is also presented.

In the mid-1980s, the Abella Commission on Equality in Employment and the federal Employment Equity Act made Canada a policy leader in addressing systemic discrimination in the workplace. More than twenty-five years later, Employment Equity in Canada assembles a distinguished group of experts to examine the state of employment equity in Canada today. Examining the evidence of nearly thirty years, the contributors – both scholars and practitioners of employment policy – evaluate the history and influence of the Abella Report, the impact of Canada’s employment equity legislation on equality in the workplace, and the future of substantive equality in an environment where the Canadian government is increasingly hostile to intervention in the workplace. They compare Canada’s legal and policy choices to those of the United States and to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and examine ways in which the concept of employment equity might be expanded to embrace other vulnerable communities. Their observations will be essential reading for those seeking to understand the past, present, and future of Canadian employment and equity policy.

This is the report of a task force whose basic objective was to conduct a comprehensive review of the current equal pay provisions of the Canadian Human Rights Act, section 11, as well as the Equal Wages Guidelines of 1986. Work of the task force included consultations, public hearings, roundtables, private meetings, research, and a symposium to provide information about the wide range of issues relevant to a review of pay equity legislation. The first four chapters review wage inequalities in Canada & within designated groups in the labour market, the Canadian legislative response to wage inequality, the current pay equity model and its limitations, and proactive models & legislation in the public sectors of various provinces. Chapter 5 outlines a model that the task force recommends to replace the current legislation. Subsequent chapters address issues which arise in connection with this proposed model, including the scope of application, the elements of a pay equity plan, employee participation, predominance of certain groups in job classes, evaluating gender-predominant job classes, estimating & correcting wage gaps, allowable exemptions, maintenance of pay equity, enforcement, timelines & transition to new legislation, pay equity and collective bargaining, and the role of oversight agencies. Recommendations made throughout the report are also listed at the end. Appendices include excerpts from relevant legislation.

This report presents the Standing Committee's review of the Employment Equity Act of 1996, as required every five years by legislation. Work of the Committee included hearing from witnesses representing designated groups & employers covered under the Act, departments & agencies involved in administering the Act, and other interested parties. The report begins with a brief overview of the progress made to date in achieving a more representative workplace in those sectors covered under the Act. This is followed by chapters covering key issues raised during the hearings, including: employment equity information, education, training, & outreach; skill acquisition & foreign credential recognition; employment equity coverage; employer obligations; definitions & data used in measuring success; compliance with the Act; and administration of the Act. Recommendations made throughout the report are also listed at the end. A dissenting opinion is appended.

The authors of this comparative study of affirmative action compare the employment practices of six countries: the U.S., Canada, Great Britain/Northern Ireland, India, Malaysia, and South Africa. They look at mandatory quota policies; legislated versus voluntary policies; goals and timetables; restrictions and other policies; as well as recruitment, selection, compensation, performance appraisal, promotion, training, and career development. Their findings will prove useful for training managers of companies with global operations.