Green Party leader Andrew Weaver wants to ban B.C. employers from making high heels mandatory.

Weaver introduced a bill amending the Workers Compensation Act in legislature on March 8, in light of International Women鈥檚 Day.

鈥淭he next petition should be one requiring men to wear high heels for a nine-hour shift before they insist women do,鈥� he said, quoting Samantha Power, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who criticized dress codes in the past.

鈥淲e are very far from an inclusive, gender-equal province, and today鈥� seems an appropriate time to take this overdue step,鈥� Weaver said.

As it stands now, there are some safety requirements for footwear in the Workers Compensation Act, but Weaver鈥檚 amended bill would prevent employers from having gender-based footwear requirements - specifically within the restaurant industry.

鈥淢any employers require that female staff wear high heels,鈥� he said, and 鈥渢his footwear can be extremely uncomfortable and unsafe.鈥�

Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Association, said he supports allowing woman to make their own choice when it comes to footwear, and that it鈥檚 a practice already being implemented by restaurants across the province.

鈥淚 think that most restaurants are completely on board with this, for a bunch of reasons but certainly [for] a health and safety one,鈥� he said.

When providing best practices to its members, the association already suggests to make footwear requirements optional,鈥� Tostenson said.

He added with the industry facing a labour shortage, it鈥檚 in the employers best interest to do 鈥渨hatever they can to accommodate and retain employees.鈥�

SATURDAY POLL: What do you think about 鈥檚 bill that would prohibit employers from making high heels mandatory for women staff?鈥� Ashley Wadhwani (@ashwadhwani)

ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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