Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 158, Number 6: Application of the Pay Equity Act to Ministers’ Offices Regulations

February 10, 2024

Statutory authority
Pay Equity Act

Sponsoring department
Department of Employment and Social Development

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

For the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, see the Order Grouping Ministers’ Offices for the Purpose of a Pay Equity Plan .

PROPOSED REGULATORY TEXT

Notice is given that the Governor in Council proposes to make the annexed Application of the Pay Equity Act to Ministers’ Offices Regulations under paragraph 181(1)(p) of the Pay Equity Act footnote a.

Interested persons may make representations concerning the proposed Regulations within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. They are strongly encouraged to use the online commenting feature that is available on the Canada Gazette website but if they use email, mail or any other means, the representations should cite the Canada Gazette, Part I, and the date of publication of this notice, and be sent to Muhammad Ali, Executive Director, Workplace and Labour Relations Policy Division, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development, 165 De l’Hôtel-de-Ville Street, Place du Portage, Phase II, 11th Floor, Gatineau, Quebec J8X 3X2 (email: ESDC.PayEquity-EquiteSalariale.EDSC@labour-travail.gc.ca).

Ottawa, February 2, 2024

Wendy Nixon
Assistant Clerk of the Privy Council

Application of the Pay Equity Act to Ministers’ Offices Regulations

Definitions

Definitions

1 The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

Act
means the Pay Equity Act. (Loi)
grouping
means the grouping of ministers’ offices under section 1 of the Order Grouping Ministers’ Offices for the Purpose of a Pay Equity Plan. (groupement)

Application of the Act

Grouping

2 (1) Despite sections 6 to 8 of the Act, the grouping becomes subject to the Act — and is deemed to be recognized by the Pay Equity Commissioner as a single employer under section 106 of the Act — on the day on which the Order Grouping Ministers’ Offices for the Purpose of a Pay Equity Plan comes into force.

Appointment of new Prime Minister

(2) However, if a new Prime Minister is appointed, the grouping is deemed to become subject to the Act — and to be recognized by the Pay Equity Commissioner as a single employer under section 106 of the Act — on the date of that appointment.

Group of employers

3 Except as otherwise provided in these Regulations, the provisions of the Act and any regulations made under it that apply to groups of employers recognized by the Pay Equity Commissioner as a single employer under section 106 of the Act apply to the grouping.

Pay equity plan — new Prime Minister

4 Upon the appointment of a new Prime Minister, the grouping’s posted pay equity plan ceases to apply to the ministers whose offices form part of the grouping, and the obligations of those ministers that arose as a result of the posting of the plan also cease.

Pay equity plan — new minister

5 If a new minister is appointed without the Prime Minister being replaced, the pay equity plan posted by the employers of the grouping is deemed to have been posted by the new minister, and that minister assumes the same obligations as the other ministers whose offices form part of the grouping.

Non-application — phase-in period

6 Subsections 61(2) and 62(4) and sections 63 and 113 of the Act do not apply to the grouping.

Adaptations

Adaptation — paragraphs 71(a) and (b) of Act

7 With respect to the grouping, paragraphs 71(a) and (b) of the Act are adapted as follows:

Adaptation — subsection 83(1) of Act

8 With respect to the grouping, subsection 83(1) of the Act is adapted as follows:

Final version — three-year maximum

83 (1) Each employer in the grouping must post the final version of the revised pay equity plan and of the document referred to in subsection 79(2) no later than the third anniversary of the day on which the employer posted, as the case may be,

Adaptation — subsection 88(2) of Act

9 With respect to the grouping, subsection 88(2) of the Act is adapted as follows:

Lump sum

(2) If an employee referred to in subsection (1) is entitled, as determined in accordance with the regulations, to a lump sum in respect of a period determined in accordance with the regulations — which period is to begin on or after the day on which the previous pay equity plan was posted in accordance with section 55, subsection 57(2), section 83 or subsection 85(2), as the case may be, and end no later than the day on which the revised pay equity plan was posted in accordance with section 83 or, if the employer posted it in accordance with subsection 85(2), the third anniversary of the day referred to in subsection 83(1) — and in an amount determined in accordance with the regulations, the employer is also required to pay to the employee, on the day on which compensation is required to be increased under subsection (4), that lump sum.

Adaptation — subsections 57(1) and (2) of Pay Equity Regulations

10 (1) With respect to the grouping, subsections 57(1) and (2) of the Pay Equity Regulations are adapted as follows:

Range — under 100 employees

57 (1) The range of penalties in respect of a violation within a classification set out in column 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 3 is set out in column 2 for a first violation, in column 3 for a second violation and in column 4 for a third or subsequent violation, with respect to a violation committed by

Sum of the average

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c),

Adaptation — subsections 57(5) and (6) of Pay Equity Regulations

(2) With respect to the grouping, subsections 57(5) and (6) of the Pay Equity Regulations are adapted as follows:

Average

(5) For the purposes of paragraphs (3)(a) and (4)(a),

Sum of the average

(6) For the purposes of paragraphs (3)(b) and (4)(b),

Coming into Force

Registration

11 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

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