This weeks announcement by the BC Government to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2021 has triggered many small business owners in Saanich North and the Islands to contact me to share how it will impact them.
$15 is a nice round number, several other jurisdictions have embraced $15 per hour, and have developed roadmaps to get their minimum wage to $15. Tens of thousands of signatures have been collected encouraging the government to raise minimum wage to $15.
When developing public policy, we must first ask: what is the problem we are trying to solve? Growing income inequality, more children living in poverty, increased homelessness, and demand for food banks are just a few of the challenges we have heard.
The overarching objective is to ensure all British Columbians have a liveable income, that they can meet their basic needs, and that everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy, meaningful life.
To be clear, I support developing evidence-based public policy, not policy-by-sound bite. That is why I, and my BC Green colleagues, strongly advocated for the Fair Wages Commission policy to be in the Confidence and Supply Agreement we signed with the BC NDP.
The Fair Wages Commission is a body comprised of business, labour, and non-profit representatives with a mandate to ensure that all the stakeholders have an opportunity to inform the setting of wage rates in British Columbia, not just now, but on an ongoing basis.
Is $15 too much? Is it too little? How will it impact small business? How does it fit with the government’s overall poverty reduction plan and a basic income pilot? At this point, we have not completed the due diligence required to have as good an understanding as we can of all the intended and unintended consequences of raising minimum wage to $15 by 2021.
With the Confidence and Supply Agreement we have an incredible opportunity to develop public policy that addresses the growing poverty and income inequality in our province. The Fair Wage Commission’s recommendations to government, should be independent, free from politics, and without arbitrarily set rates and timeframes.
I look forward to working with the government to ensure that the approach is based on the best information available and that the process builds confidence across diverse stakeholders and interests, and that the government fully understands all the implications of its decision.
Photo credit: “Stock Photography – Canadian Money” by KMR Photography is licensed under CC by 2.0
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