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Gordon Campbell out of touch with Vancouver residents on minimum wage
April 23, 2009
A public opinion poll shows Metro Vancouver residents overwhelmingly support an increase to the provincial minimum wage.
The poll, conducted by McAllister Opinion Research, found that 77 percent of Metro Vancouver residents support a $10 minimum wage, with 54 percent strongly in favour of the increase.
This afternoon, Vancouver City Council’s Standing Committee on Planning and the Environment will consider a motion put forward by Councillor Geoff Meggs to: endorse an increase to the minimum wage to $10 per hour, eliminate the $6 per hour training wage and index the minimum wage to inflation. Similar resolutions have already been passed by more than 30 municipal councils all across the province, as well as the Union of BC Municipalities.
Provincially, the polling found a $10 per hour minimum wage is supported by 78 percent of British Columbians, with 55 percent strongly in favour. Support for the increase is high regardless of age (77-78 percent), education (75-85 percent) and household income (71-82 percent).
“These results show British Columbians overwhelming support a $10 minimum wage regardless of where they live, their age, income or education,” said B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair. “It’s hard to understand why Premier Campbell remains determined to keep the minimum wage frozen when public support for the increase is so strong and broad based.”
BC’s minimum wage was the highest in Canada when Gordon Campbell was first elected Premier in 2001. Frozen for eight years, it is now tied for lowest in the country with New Brunswick and PEI, both of which have planned increases for later this year. Because of the high cost of living, BC has long had the lowest minimum wage in terms of buying power. Approximately 293,000 workers in BC earn $10 per hour or less. In 2007, Gordon Campbell voted himself a 54 percent pay raise which took his annual salary to $186,000.
The telephone poll interviewed a random sample of 1,207 British Columbians, including 507 Metro Vancouver residents, from March 30 to April 9, 2009. The weighted sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent, 19 times out of 20.
