VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Greens welcome the new provincial minimum wage of $15.20 an hour. The Fair Wages Commission (FWC), which the B.C. Greens negotiated into the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the B.C. NDP., recommended the move to a $15.20 minimum wage.
“B.C. has the highest cost of living and the highest levels of wealth inequality in the country,” said B.C. Greens Leader Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley.
“A strong economy is one where everyone can meet their basic needs and live healthy and fulfilling lives. I’m pleased that the final wage increase recommended in the Fair Wages Commission’s first report has now been met.
“The FWC was also mandated to advise the government on ways to begin to address the discrepancy between the minimum wage and a living wage. $15.20 an hour is not a livable wage in most parts of our province. During the pandemic, low income workers have shouldered a disproportionate amount of the financial burden, while house prices have continued to skyrocket. B.C. must continue to work with business, labour and economists to develop a path towards a livable wage. We are calling on the government to follow the report’s recommendation to make the Fair Wages Commission permanent so that our province can continue to benefit from a depoliticized, evidence-based process.”
In the 2017 election, the B.C. Greens campaigned on the creation of a Fair Wages Commission to address the discrepancy between minimum wages and livable wages. The FWC brought together economists and representatives from labour and the private sector to develop its recommendations. Fair wage commissions are used in democracies worldwide to develop economically sound wage policies that are arm's-length from political decision-making. The B.C. Fair Wages Commission 2018 report is available here.
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]