Hon. Peter Harder: Honourable senators, 25 years ago today, the Government of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, or PSAC, signed a historic settlement putting an end to over 15 years of litigation, thereby resolving the long-standing issue of pay equity complaint.

Only a few weeks earlier, the former Secretary of the Treasury Board and Nycole Turmel, who is the former president of PSAC, met in the upstairs private room of a local restaurant and, over a pot of cold coffee, agreed to the financial terms of these prolonged negotiations. This settlement provided retroactive pay adjustments to over 230,000 Canadian public servants, whose work had been undervalued for years when compared to their male counterparts.

Since that settlement, the Government of Canada adopted the Pay Equity Act requiring federally regulated employers to proactively address pay inequities between men and women.

There is still a lot of work to be done to close the pay gap between men and women across the country. Respect for other fundamental rights and freedoms also needs some work, since many disputes on these issues remain unresolved both here at home and elsewhere in the world.

Today, as we reflect on the efforts that led to the 1999 pay equity agreement, let us remain conscious that advances in fairness, equality and fundamental rights occur when the parties involved deliberately decide to put aside their differences and take a creative and courageous approach to working out solutions through respectful dialogue.

While I no longer enjoy my coffee cold, I’m glad to have played some small part in pay equity of the public service, which portrays our better Canadian ideals.

I would like to acknowledge the many public servants and PSAC officials who worked on this file for many years. For my part, I would single out the leadership of Hélène Laurendeau, Jean-Claude Bouchard and the late Alain Jolicœur, all of whom subsequently became deputy ministers and leaders on equity issues in their respective departments.

It’s a day to celebrate. Thank you.