Every time the topic of raising the minimum wage in British Columbia has come up during the past decade, we’ve heard the same predictions of doom and gloom from Business – big, small and in between.
It’s always the same song and dance: “We’re barely hanging on as it is and this will just put us under.”
And the excuse — almost word for word — has been going on for the past 10 years — even through the good years.
The B.C. Liberal government, which is very much pro-business, bought into the mantra and refused to keep up with its provincial counterparts across the country.
While they didn’t exactly turn their backs on the struggling new workers, the B.C. Liberals still danced to their business friends’ tune.
Meanwhile, entry-level employees in British Columbia continued to struggle while trying to scratch out a living on the lowest minimum wage in the country.
So, why the change in heart now and, no, it isn’t because we have a new premier?
In a nutshell, the economy took a turn for the worse and the forest industry – once the number 1 economic driver in B.C. – took a huge hit thanks to pine beetle devastation, wildfires, NAFTA and a depressed export market.
Mills started shutting down, harvesting contractors streamlined and spin-off businesses started closing their doors.
Anticipating the forestry was heading into lean times, the government scrambled to create more tourism-related jobs. Unfortunately, these pretty much only pay the minimum wage.
Meanwhile, people who had good-earning jobs started losing them, and they were either forced into early retirement – if they were lucky – or they had to re-enter the workforce.
And we’re seeing more of that now as older workers and seniors are forced into the workforce to just make ends meet.
Politically speaking, no government can afford to have a large portion of the voting public being forced to work for dead-end wages.
It just doesn’t bode well for the government at the ballot box.
