B.C.’s minimum wage is going up 50 cents an hour, effective September 15th.
The commitment to raise the minimum wage to 11-35 an hour had already been made by the Liberal government.
Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, says, at the same time, the NDP government will establish a Fair Wages Commission that will provide guidance to move the province towards a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage by 2021…..
Bains says he doesn’t believe there will be job losses as a result of the minimum wage increase.
He says a tax cut for small businesses in order to compensate for the increase will be something the Ministry of Finance and Premier will be looking at.
In the meantime, it appears there’s a crack in the agreement between the B.C. Green Party and the NDP following the announcement about a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage.
Andrew Weaver says the establishment of a Fair Wages Commission was a key element of the B.C. Greens 2017 election platform and was included in the Confidence and Supply Agreement signed by himself and Premier John Horgan.
However, Weaver says he’s concerned that the 2021 timeline to a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage is prejudicial to the work of the Commission.
Weaver says the Fair Wages Commission should be the one to determine the timeline for minimum wage increases based on evidence and through consultation with stakeholders.
