I’m very pleased that my province Ontario, has implemented a $15.00 minimum wage. It’s set to start at $14.00 this January 1 and will rise to $15.00 next year. There has been alot of criticism and reaction to the news from the business community, which I guess is to expected, but as a formerly low income worker, I can fully imagine the benefits of this government program.
This raise is a very good thing, the first step toward a fair and prosperous economy. To ensure its success, we need to find the problems behind the debate it has raised, and move forward to address them, if valid, and help make this change completely successful. We also need to fully acknowledge that it will have a positive real life change and affect on the working poor.
I’m a lower income person, and I have no problem with paying .50- $1.00 more on a food order to ensure workers don’t lose benefits, hours or their job. To start, and establish an economy that trickles down, and surges up, and hits all the income brackets requires micro costs for us all. If that’s what it takes to create a prosperous, productive Canada, and to end poverty, wage poverty I am all for it.
To raise people wages, as suggested by critics of this change, by $0 .25 a year is ridiculous and unfair. A $ 15.00 minimum wage is the right amount, and barely deals with the issues of worker poverty. To read all the extreme blow back from business is frankly disheartening. I think that many need to just roll with it, ask their corporation to slightly raise prices if need be, freeze executive wages for a few years. They need to give this a chance, have faith in the economists and researchers, believe it is the best thing, in the long and even short term, for our economy.
I don’t think minimum wage is the only step needed to decrease income equality, and create a surge up the economy; I think its the first step. Other policies and programs to increase wealth through the brackets, like a universal guaranteed income for all Canadians, lower transportation costs, lower taxes for the under $100,000 workers and needed subsidies for small business and farms are also necessary. Without these, this raise in low wage might fail at some of its goals, or at least, have its effects weakened. A complete and comprehensive economic plan is needed and can fix our economy, and undo years of national, and global austerity, and libertine economic policies.
I think another good result from all of this is, it will break through the middle class/small business bubble and belief that they are doing well economically. If a $3.10 increase can cripple small business, then there needs to be more work from the Liberals on their anti austerity policies and programs and more willingness on the side of business to working with the government. The trickle down economy, business and governments has put so much faith in, didn’t trickle down, and the working classes, whether low or middle income, are going to continue to learn this lesson, unless there is a stronger government response to these changes. That being said, I think this is a great first step for all Canadians, and I applaud our government for taking it.
There may be real problems from business, such as with small and failing business, franchises and farms, but alot of it is hysterical, and far conservative thinking. There are proven positive results of raising the minimum wage. There may be higher costs at first, but its time we started looking at long term results, and to look beyond our own bottom line, especially if we aren’t in the position of poverty.
The upper and middle classes have had a nice ride over the past few decades. Its time to let the poor and working poor onboard and give them the ability to also have a nice ride, or at least the ability to stop having to worry from paycheck to paycheck if they can afford to survive. This minimum wage raise will be a real boost for them and for our economy. We need to be a society that cares about this, and I think this move forward can accomplish it and so much more, if we let it.
