An employee stocks shelves at a grocery store in Maple Ridge, B.C.Laura Leyshon/The Globe and Mail
British Columbia's government says it will bring the province to a $15-an-hour minimum wage by 2021, a time frame that would put this province well behind Alberta and Ontario.
Labour Minister Harry Bains said Tuesday the NDP will follow through on a Liberal pledge to raise the minimum wage by 50 cents an hour starting on Sept. 15, to $11.35. He said the raise will take B.C.'s minimum wage from seventh place among the provinces to third.
"Today's announcement is about helping everyday workers make ends meet. It's not always easy to do that and it's even harder when you're making a minimum wage," he told reporters.
Approximately 93,800 B.C. workers – or 4.8 per cent of paid employees – earned the minimum wage last year. That does not include people who are self-employed and compares with a national average of 6.9 per cent. The NDP had vowed in its election platform to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2021, with increases each year.
When the NDP and the BC Green Party reached an agreement after the election to topple the Liberals, the two parties said they would establish a commission that would form the path to a $15 minimum wage.
The commission had been promised in the Green platform.
Mr. Bains said more details on the commission will be announced in the coming weeks. The commission is to submit its first report within 90 days of its first meeting. When asked why the commission was needed at all, Mr. Bains said it "will give us a road map."
The Alberta government said its minimum wage will rise to $13.60 this October and $15 in October, 2018.
The Ontario government said it plans to raise its minimum wage to $14 this January and $15 in January, 2019. Business groups in Ontario this week said that would put 185,000 jobs at risk.
Mr. Bains said Alberta and Ontario are moving more quickly than B.C. on a $15 minimum wage because "they started earlier."
"The minimum wage in B.C. was not raised for 10 years and we are far behind," he said.
The Liberals raised the minimum wage to $8.75 from $8 in May, 2011 – the first increase under their government in a decade.
John Martin, the Liberal Party's labour critic, in a statement said the NDP's Tuesday news conference consisted of a "non-announcement."
He noted the Liberals had already committed to raising the minimum wage next month.
"Hard working British Columbians deserve a part in our province's economy, and it's important that B.C.'s minimum wage provides fair compensation for workers, while also fostering the investment needed to continue creating jobs and driving economic activity," the statement read.
Val Litwin, president of the BC Chamber of Commerce, in an interview said it's not opposed to increases to the minimum wage.
"We would just say, 'Let's do it in a fashion that allows business to prepare, to budget and to have a moment to understand how this could affect their business model.'"
Irene Lanzinger, president of the BC Federation of Labour, in a statement wrote a "fair minimum wage will be good for working families and good for the economy of B.C.
"We look forward to working with the B.C. government as we advocate for better wages, including increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour as soon as possible," the statement read.
Michael Prince, a political science professor at the University of Victoria, said in an e-mail the NDP's approach to minimum wage is cautious but predictable, particularly in a minority government context.
He added it's fair to question why a commission on minimum wage is needed if the goal of reaching $15 by 2021 has already been set.
In addition to the minimum-wage increase, the province said a wage for liquor servers will also rise by 50 cents next month, to $10.10.
The province said 62 per cent of those who earned the minimum wage last year were women. About 54 per cent of those paid the minimum were between the ages of 15 and 24.