Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

April 18th, VICTORIA – Opposition Leader Carole James today introduced the Minimum Wage Fairness Act, 2007 to lift B.C.’s minimum wage to $10 per hour. The Bill also proposes to index future increases to protect workers and give certainty to employers. Also included in the legislative package is a full percentage point reduction in the small business tax rate to help that sector manage rising costs.

After a six year freeze, it’s time the government of British Columbia gave our province’s lowest paid workers a raise.

• More information and a petition at www.bcfed.com.

The Minimum Wage Fairness Act will raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour and implements a system to index increases in future years so B.C.’s lowest paid workers never have to face a six year freeze again.

By providing this lift and indexing future increases, B.C.’s lowest paid workers get much needed support and employers get the certainty they need to plan for the future.

Workers have waited far too long for this lift. The cost of living in BC has skyrocketed in recent years and too many British Columbians are struggling to make ends meet.

This Act also reduces the Small Business Tax rate by a full percentage point to reduce costs for the small business sector.

This reduction would be the first since 2000 and would benefit small businesses across the province, including more than 200,000 self-employed British Columbians.

The Minimum Wage Fairness Act is a balanced approach to supporting our lowest paid workers and promoting growth in B.C.’s small business sector.

An electronic copy of the bill is available here.