‘It’s a priority for me’: Furey
Premier says regulations coming ‘as soon as we can’
Saltwire continued to seek an update Monday on why the Pay Equity and Pay Transparency Act regulations have not yet been released.
Premier Andrew Furey explained it’s due to the involvement of multiple departments, “which lends a different level of complexity to policy initiatives,” adding it involves the Treasury Board, Labour Division, and the Office of Women and Gender Equality.
“I’ve asked them to try to streamline that process,” Furey said.
“Different than some policy that exists, for example, in (the Department of) Health where it lives exclusively in the realm of health, this one crosses departments — arguably (the Department of) Justice, too — so, when you’re doing that kind of policy instrument, sometimes it takes a bit more time, and I know that all the ministers are engaged. I’ve made it a priority.”
The provincial government originally said these regulations would be released by the end of 2023. On Monday, Furey said they’re coming “as soon as we can.”
“Believe me, it’s a priority for me as well,” he reiterated.
On Friday, March 1, Saltwire had asked Women and Gender Equality Minister Pam Parsons for an update on the status of the regulations, and was told by her communications director that people were still working on drafting the regulations.
Attempts to get more information from Parsons during that interview, such as the details Furey provided on Monday, were met with resistance. This was reported in an online Saltwire story on Monday.
NDP MHA Lela Evans said in a statement on Monday that “skirting media questions, and refusing to be open about timelines, tells me this minister and the Furey Liberal government aren’t taking this issue seriously.
“Friday is International Women’s Day and the minister should be ashamed of the way government continues to undermine women’s work in the province,” Evans stated.