As inflation has increased the price of menstrual products in Canada, more workplaces should provide them at no cost to their employees, advocates say.
Appearing at a meeting of the House of Commons status of women committee Monday, company CEOs and other industry stakeholders welcomed recent changes to the Labour Code by the federal government to give free access to period products in all federally regulated workplaces.
But they said more needs to be done to eliminate “period poverty,” including in the private sector.
“Women and gender non-conforming folks are always exposed to increased prices just because the marketplace is going to try and attempt to increase those prices,” said Suzanne Siemens, co-founder and CEO of Period Aisle, a Canadian company that specializes in washable pads and period underwear.
The federal government nixed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from menstrual products in 2015.
Siemens said the removal of the “pink tax” on essential period products has helped, but inflation overall is “always going to increase the cost of having a period,” she told MPs.
The status of women committee is conducting a study on menstrual equity in Canada.
This comes as a quarter of people who menstruate in Canada say they struggled to afford period products within the last year and had to choose between getting them or paying for other essential items, according to a recent survey by Plan International Canada.
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Meanwhile, more than 80 per cent also believe menstrual products are over-priced in the country with 23 per cent saying they’re “very expensive.”
The price of menstrual products varies significantly across the country.
A pack of pads in northern and remote communities can cost upwards of $30.
U.S. data by NielsenIQ last year showed that period products, including tampons and pads, hit their lowest availability in the middle of March.
Average prices for tampons increased by nearly 10 per cent and 8.3 per cent for a box of menstrual pads last year through the end of May.
“We all recognize that currently there are many barriers to menstrual equity in Canada,” said Jillian Johnston, advocacy coordinator at Days for Girls Canada Society.
To help alleviate some of those challenges, starting mid-December, free menstrual products will be available in all federally regulated workplaces in Canada.
Federally regulated workplaces include banks, airlines, Crown corporations, broadcasters and telecommunications companies, railways, postal and courier services, and other employers representing about six per cent of workers in Canada.
Johnston said this is a “huge step forward for Canada” but that private sector companies also need to follow suit.
The Period Positive Workplace campaign, which Days for Girls is a part of, is working to encourage private sector businesses make menstrual products free and available for their staff in the bathrooms.
“Just like we wouldn’t question having toilet paper in places of work regardless whether they are in-office or hybrid, the same consideration is needed for 26 per cent of the population when it comes to menstrual products,” said Linda Biggs, co-founder and co-CEO of joni, a B.C-based sustainable period care brand.
In Canada, there has been a growing movement to provide free feminine hygiene products on campuses and in schools.
Given the high cost of living, companies say the use of sustainable and reusable options could be more affordable, which is why they should be promoted and included in legislation.
Siemens, of Period Aisle, said that based on the company’s own analysis and other independent studies, reusable menstrual products can save up to 15 times the cost compared with single-use disposable pads and tampons because they last longer.
“With inflation and the cost of living rising every year, having reusables means not having to budget for or to seek out new means for products every month,” Siemens said.
Washable products are also better for the environment, she argued, reducing waste, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Biggs, of joni, said sustainable options, should also be included in the procurement process for the government menstrual equity program.
“Plastic-free pads break down on average in 12 months in the right conditions. This model works to make sustainable pads and tampons accessible in public places just like toilet paper.”
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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