Marches and demonstrations will be held around the world to mark International Women’s Day.
It comes days after the Ontario government announced legislation to increase pay transparency in the province. The bill aims at closing the gender wage gap.
Premier Kathleen Wynne says the wage gap between women and men in Ontario, ranges anywhere between 12 per cent to 29 per cent depending on the workplace. According to a 2015 report from Statistics Canada, women are paid 87 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Friday morning is the 18th annual International Women’s Day Breakfast in support of the London Abused Women’s Centre, where local poet Najwa Zebian will speak about her own experiences of displacement and discrimination.
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Men, women and children gathered in Victoria Park last weekend for a Women’s Day March, holding signs in support of a variety of women’s rights issues. After the rally, the London Public Library hosted information booths and sessions to learn more about women’s issues.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Toronto, where he’ll receive the 2018 Catalyst for Change Award and deliver remarks at the Equal Voice International Women’s Day.