Minimum Wage Isn’t What’s Ailing Struggling Families

Letter to the Editor Via Email: sunletters@vancouversun.com.

Vancouver Sun

#1 – 200 Granville Street Vancouver BC V6C 3N3

RE: Minimum Wage Isn’t What’s Ailing Struggling Families

Poverty is complicated, and there is no doubt that BC needs a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy to tackle the growing inequality in our province.

There is also no doubt that a meaningful increase to the minimum wage must be part of this strategy.

There are currently more than 500,000 people in BC earning less than $15/hr. That is a quarter of our province’s working population. They come from all demographics and all living situations. And, they are all earning a wage that keeps them in poverty.

The Fraser Institute tries to dismiss these people, making the questionable claim that minimum wage jobs are temporary and temporary poverty is acceptable.

I don’t believe poverty is ever acceptable, and neither do the 78% of British Columbians who agree that the minimum wage should put a full-time earner above the poverty line.

I will agree with the Fraser Institute on one thing – increasing the minimum wage alone will not solve poverty. But, there is no one magic bullet solution. We need a series of policy changes, and increasing the minimum wage to $15/hr is one of them.

Irene Lanzinger

President, BC Federation of Labour

https://iamaw16.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Van-Sun-Editor-Min-Wage.pdf