NDP will increase minimum wage to $15/hour

Plan will help lift 130,000 people out of poverty

HALIFAX – Today, NDP Leader Gary Burrill announced an NDP government will increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour which will help lift 130,000 hardworking people, mostly women, out of poverty.

“Too many Nova Scotians are working full-time hours while still struggling to put food on the table and keep up with their bills,” said Burrill. “An NDP government will phase in a $15 minimum wage which will help lift 130,000 people out of poverty.”

An NDP government will immediately strike a Commission on the Local Economy that will consult with local businesses, social enterprises, corporations, and not-for-profits to determine how government can best support them, including how to help them adapt to changes in the minimum wage.

“I believe that our economy should work for everyone, not just those at the top. This is an important step that will not only support our people, but will also grow our local economy,” added Burrill. “Paying people a fair wage means they will have more money to spend in local small business. It’s a way to stimulate our economy, and support the economic reality of people’s lives.”

Today, minimum wage rates remain tied to the inflation rate. However, there is still a significant gap between this wage and a living wage, forcing a new generation of full-time workers to live in poverty. Over sixty per cent of people who earn a minimum wage or less are women.

“If working three minimum wage jobs can’t help a family make ends meet, how are families in Nova Scotia supposed to get by?” said NDP candidate for Hants East, Liam Crouse. “Increasing the minimum wage would change the lives of people who are living on less than $15 an hour. This is the right thing to do and together we can do it.”

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