QUEBEC — The Quebec government announced Thursday morning it is increasing the minimum wage to $11.25 an hour.
The minimum salary is currently $10.75. Thursday’s increase will come into effect on May 1.
Many were calling on the province to follow the example of such U.S. cities as Seattle and San Francisco, and states such as New York and California which, in the last two years, have either hiked their minimum wage to $15 an hour, or passed legislation promising to do so.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” said Louise Chabot, president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, a union representing 200,000 education and health-care workers in the province. “We’re talking about people … people living in poverty.”
Finance Minister Carlos Leitão said Thursday that raising minimum wage to $15 an hour would have been “dangerous.”
“There are many studies that have been done on that subject … an increase in the minimum wage that is too quick, too rapid, and that is disconnected from the average wage in the economy, will necessarily have a very damaging impact on businesses and on job creation,” Leitão said.
Labour Minister Dominique Vien said the minimum wage in Quebec will increase by 50 cents again in 2018, 35 cents in 2019 and 35 cents in 2020.
By 2020, the minimum wage is expected to be equivalent to 50 per cent of the average wage in Quebec.
Source: Montrealgazette