Pay Equity: Addressing the Wage Gap

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | 12:00 p.m. (ET) | Virtual

Overview

For people who experience economic financial abuse and exploitation, pay equity and wage gaps aren’t just a workplace issue; they’re a barrier to leaving, recovering from, and staying free of an abusive relationship. Lower earnings, interrupted careers, and unequal pay compound the financial precarity that economic abuse creates, making long-term independence harder to reach.

Join CCFWE to explore how closing the wage gap can serve as a concrete lever for survivors’ financial safety and independence. This webinar will look at the existing economic impact of the wage gap, how this intersects with gender-based violence and economic abuse, and the current policy context in Canada. It will outline policy and systems-level changes needed to advance pay equity, and how employers, policymakers, and advocates can work together to ensure fair pay translates into real financial security for those rebuilding their lives after economic abuse.

This event will share our new report, Achieving Pay Equity for Women in Canada: Advancing Economic Justice, Safety and Financial Security.

You’ll hear about:

How the wage gap intersects with and compounds the effects of economic abuse

Why pay equity is a survivor-safety issue, not just a workplace equity issue

Policy opportunities to strengthen pay equity legislation and enforcement

What employers can do to close pay gaps and support survivors’ financial independence

Speakers:

Denna Berg, Director of Public Policy, CCFWE

Fiorella Rabuffetti, Public Policy Lead, CCFWE

Theresa Farao, National Representative Pay Equity, Unifor
Sheila Regehr, Chair, Basic Income Canada Network (BICN)

Watch the Webinar

Meet the Speakers

Theresa Farao, National Representative Pay Equity, Unifor

Theresa Farao has been a life-long union activist. She organized her own workplace over 30 years ago. She held various leadership positions including chairperson and local 240 president for 12 years before being appointed on staff with Unifor in 2016.

Theresa bargains collective agreements, deals with grievances and works with management in a variety of workplaces to ensure productive labour relations. Theresa has extensive experience with pay equity over the last 25 years. In 2022 under Lana Payne leadership, she appointed Theresa F/T developing and maintaining Pay Equity both Provincially & Federally. Workers have received hundreds of thousands of dollars through her efforts. Close to 10 million in retro in the last 10 years with anywhere of wage adjustments from $0.10 to $7.00 an hour. She has been involved in developing pay equity education and training materials for committees and staff.

Sheila Regehr, Chair, Basic Income Canada Network (BICN)

Sheila is a founding member of BICN (2008) and Chair since 2014. She is a retired senior federal public servant who worked in income security policy (as well as federal-provincial/territorial and international relations) with a particular focus on gender equality, and a former Executive Director of the National Council of Welfare which published statistics, research and policy studies. She has a B.A. (Political Science, University of Guelph) and M.S.W (Social Policy, Carleton University) and extensive experience organizing consultations and conferences (e.g., NABIGs, a Commonwealth Ministerial, and the 2024 BIG Forum in Ottawa).

Denna Berg, Director of Policy, CCFWE

Denna Berg is a highly skilled policy consultant with over a decade of experience tackling complex and unprecedented policy issues like climate change and drug decriminalization. With expertise in synthesizing research into impactful policy materials, Denna has made significant contributions to organizations such as the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and the Ontario College of Pharmacists. With a strong commitment to social justice and a diverse range of creative interests, Denna brings a well-rounded perspective to her work

Fiorella Rabuffetti, Public Policy Lead, CCFWE

Fiorella is a social researcher pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the University of Ottawa, specializing in migration, human rights, and gender-based violence. Currently a Program Associate with the Community Mobilization in Crisis project, She holds an MA in Political Science from The University of Alberta, an Honours BA from the University of the Republic in Uruguay, and a Certificate in Knowledge Mobilization from the University of Guelph. With a background in theatre and storytelling, she uses narrative writing and filmmaking to enhance her research and communication efforts.