The question about whether to raise the minimum wage seems like a no-brainer when given the fact that every other province in Canada has. Had that not been the case, those arguing against the increase might have more of a leg to stand on.

Inflation is obvious, prices on everything are going up, so what’s the deal? Why are a few seemingly diehard capitalists still trying to keep low earners down?

Yes, raising the minimum wage might lessen the desire for low earners to better themselves so that they can obtain higher paying jobs, but wouldn’t it also help higher earners by raising the bar by which to compare their own salaries?

A $14 an hour job seems like quite a lot more than $8 an hour, but what about compared to $10 or $11 an hour?

There are also those out in the world that are discouraged from seeking employment in minimum wage positions and would much rather stay on social assistance or obtain income by some other means. And who could blame them? You might as well pack it up and move to Alberta where you have a lower cost of living, lower taxes, no HST or PST, and can work for $11 an hour at the Dairy Queen as a cashier. In B.C., a worker must muster up enough cash to pay for a constantly increasing transit fare, rising cost of food, rising cost of clothing, rising rent, and a new tax on top of it all. Is this the incentive opponents of the wage increase are talking about?

That the Liberals have managed to hold off an increase this long is beyond comprehension. Only in B.C.

But attitudes are changing. People are angrier and become aware of what capabilities they have with the government (looming recall, for example.) They know that, like the fancy mathematics used to sell the HST as an economy booster, the excuses behind keeping the minimum wage frozen reeks of another hoarding scheme.

The B.C. Federation of Labour says that no experts, including B.C. economists and members of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, can point to any definitive study that would conclude that the wage increase would be a job killer.

So, where is the logic behind the notion? The Fraser Institute, which is not exactly a bastion of workers’ rights or social welfare, claims that any increase based on helping low-income workers is based on emotional appeal. It states that the minimum wages in other provinces are due to higher productivity in workers, but that is not easy to gauge. Does someone sit there counting how many burgers are flipped?

The Institute warns that employers will simply reduce staff, resulting in job loss for others. This is all theoretical, of course, just like the alleged benefits from the HST that we are all supposed to be
experiencing.

Meanwhile, residents from other provinces looking at B.C. as a place to move to, see that the province lags behind many others in some areas and is one of the most expensive places to live. They will simply pass on the opportunity to move here. And what’s worse, some British Columbians will leave.

— John O'Connor