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Women's Network PEI Newsletter Article:
February/March 2005
In January, one of our partners, the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women, held a meeting with provincial officials to discuss their Policy Guide on Maternity and Parental Benefits.
Just before Christmas, Kirstin Lund, Lisa Murphy, and Jane Ledwell met with Elmer MacFadyen (PEI Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs), Ron MacMillan (Deputy Minister), and Barry Curley (Labour and Industrial Relations) to discuss their Maternity and Parental Benefits Policy Guide recommendations.
The meeting focused on ways the Provincial Government could, within its jurisdiction, help women and families access adequate benefits. They didn't get into issues that fall under federal jurisdiction or the scenarios that could come out of the Quebec case. They put forward the following four items for the agenda:
1) Livable income and maternity and parental benefits: how earning a livable income helps women and families access adequate benefits under the current work-based system
2) Enhancing access to benefits: examining best practices from other jurisdictions
3) Practical steps to make PEI workplaces better for women, especially new parents and breast-feeding moms
4) Public education for employers and employees about the Employment Standards Act
The meeting covered these points reasonably well. The PEI ACSW have been hearing for some time that there is likely to be movement soon in the Provincial government towards increasing minimum wage. Groups working on poverty and livable income issues are hopeful that the increase will be substantial. They reinforced the connection between wages and benefits (which are, of course, calculated on the basis of wages). The Minister seemed responsive to their comments.
There was a lot of dialogue about the way the Provincial Employment Standards Act interacts with the federal program for Parental Benefits and where the barriers are for women. Kirstin talked quite forcefully about the kinds of health and economic concerns that individual families face. And she outlined some general and specific ways PEI's Employment Standards Act could be better.
The Minister was keen to hear suggestions for specific improvements to the Employment Standards Act and said that the Province may review this key legislation in the coming months. He invited them to submit a brief outlining changes they would like to see included in the Act.
This is an exciting opportunity to influence provincial legislation. The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women will be formulating their response in the next 3-4 weeks. They will base their recommendations for improvements to the PEI Act on provisions in the Canada Labour Code and in other provinces' legislation. The focus will likely be on improving job security and extending leave provisions (especially for women who face health complications during pregnancy).
Women's Network Office
located at 40 Enman Crescent, in Charlottetown
mailing address:
P.O. Box 233,
Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7K4
phone: (902) 368-5040
fax: (902) 368-5039
e-mail:
wnpei@wnpei.org