Canadian Human Rights Commission welcomes the next Pay Equity Commissioner
June 28, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Human Rights Commission
The Canadian Human Rights Commission welcomes Lori Straznicky as Canada’s next Pay Equity Commissioner, appointed by Order in Council. Ms. Straznicky has been serving as Pay Equity Commissioner in an interim capacity since November 2022.
Ms. Straznicky worked to advance workplace equity and fairness throughout her career. Prior to joining the Commission, she provided strategic policy advice and recommendations to the Minister of Labour as a Senior Executive. She was instrumental in the development of Canada’s federal Pay Equity Act. She worked extensively with federal stakeholders and represented Canada at international events, addressing the importance of a federal pay equity program as a tool to close the gender wage gap.
Ms. Straznicky is a strong believer in the power of alternate dispute resolution, particularly mediation, to resolve differences and bring about lasting change between workplace parties. These values led her to a role advice as legal counsel to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. While working as a lawyer in private practice, she advocated for her clients before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. She had the honour to be part of the negotiation and signing of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in 2005, ensuring that Nunavut Inuit people were included in the agreement.
Ms. Straznicky brings a wealth of public and private sector experience in proactive pay equity, workplace relations, and human rights with her to the Commission. She approaches the role of Pay Equity Commissioner with a deep understanding and respectful sensitivity to the diverse perspectives of all the parties involved in bringing about positive pay equity change.
She holds a B.A. in English Literature from McGill University and a LL.B from the University of Ottawa. She is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario. When she is not devoting her time to championing the right to equal pay for work of equal value, Lori enjoys spending time with her family in the Ottawa Valley.
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Quotes
“Ensuring that everyone across Canada’s federal jurisdiction receives equal pay for work of equal value is a tremendous task, and I know Lori and her amazing team are up to the challenge. Lori’s passion for recognizing pay equity as an internationally recognized fundamental human right is matched by her leadership and her determination to help build a better Canada for all.”
Quick Facts
- The Pay Equity Act is an act to establish a Proactive Pay Equity Regime within the Federal Public and Private Sectors, that will ensure that women and men working in federally regulated workplaces, including the federal public and private sectors, parliamentary workplaces and the Prime Minister’s and Ministers’ offices, receive equal pay for work of equal value.
- The Pay Equity Act will reduce the portion of the gender wage gap in federally regulated workplaces that is due to the undervaluation of work traditionally performed by women.
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