Liberal minister announces $15 minimum wage for Canada

During Question Period on Tuesday, Liberal Minister Filomena Tassi told the House that the government “remains committed” to Canada’s workers, and that a $15 minimum wage is a part of the Liberal Party’s “plan for the future.”

The proposed $15 minimum wage may be an idea inspired by the Wynne government of Ontario, who had planned to raise the wage to $15. The wage was raised to $14, and the newly elected Ford government scrapped plans to raise it to the $15 figure. The sudden raise in the wage led to businesses closing shop, reduced hours for workers, layoffs and increased prices.

the New Democrats also made a $15 minimum wage a cornerstone of their platform in 2019. In a September 2nd Labour Day statement, the NDP stated that “Jagmeet and the NDP are committed to raising the federal minimum wage to $15 right away–and growing that to a living wage.”

It’s a change of tone for the party from back in 2016. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that they would not follow in provincial footsteps to raise minimum wages, at one point even rejecting that raising the federal minimum wage was apart of his governmen’ts economic strategy.