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Nova Scotia proposes changes to address gender wage gap in the province

Nova Scotia’s Liberal government is proposing changes to the Labour Standards Code it expects will make it harder for employers to pay women less than men for doing the same work.

Labour Minister Labi Kousoulis tabled amendments Thursday that would prohibit employers from asking prospective employees about their wage history.

READ MORE: Canada’s gender wage gap narrows: women earn $4.13 less than men per hour

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The provision is intended to make it more difficult to establish a wage based on what people earned previously.

The changes would also prevent companies from barring staff from disclosing their wages to other employees.

READ MORE: Female surgeons in Ontario earn 24 per cent less per hour than male peers: study

Kousoulis calls the changes an important first step toward narrowing the gender wage gap in a province.

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Community Services Minister Kelly Regan says on average, women in Nova Scotia make 73 cents for every dollar earned by a man doing roughly the same job.

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