Liberals push to close gender pay gap

The Alberta Liberals say they want to help close the pay gap between men and women working in Alberta.

Interim Liberal Leader David Swann said Wednesday that his party will introduce legislation to ensure women and men are paid equally for similar work.

“It’s a shame that in Alberta we still have such unequal pay for work of equal value,” he said.

Edmonton- Centre candidate Laurie Blakeman said Alberta has gone too long without a law or policy ensuring women are paid equitably.

A recent Parkland Institute study noted women in Alberta earn roughly onethird less than men.

“This is a long time coming. This should have been in place a long time ago and I can’t believe that I’ve been working on women’s issues as long as I have and we still have a government that will not put this into place,” she said.

Alberta is the only province without actual or planned legislation or a policy governing pay equity.