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Landmark victory for gender equality

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rules that federal government was discriminating on the basis of gender.

Ottawa (06 July 2012) - After an arduous eight-year fight for justice, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) welcomes a milestone $150 million settlement in the Walden et al v. Canada case that was before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT).

“Today we can finally celebrate a huge victory for justice and equality,” said Ruth Walden, a registered nurse and medical adjudicator working for the Canadian Pension Plan Disability Program, who filed the initial complaint in 2004.

“After eight years of investing time and resources in this fight for fairness while continuing to deliver an important service to the public, our members will finally be compensated.”

Hundreds of Walden's colleagues joined her complaint, which alleged that the federal government was discriminating on the basis of gender, because it would not recognize nurses doing medical adjudication as health professionals. Instead, these medical adjudicators had been classified as administrative/clerical staff. Now, more than 700 hard-working professionals will be compensated through this settlement.

Unfortunately, the government’s own legislation, the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act (PSECA), will make it more difficult to address workplace gender discrimination issues in the future. PIPSC filed a constitutional challenge to the PSECA in 2009. The case is still before the Courts.

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