Abandon youth minimum wage, NDP urges

Policy will only serve to harm society’s most vulnerable workers: labour critic

Flanked by three business owners committed to paying youth and adult employees the $15 minimum per hour, the NDP official opposition called again on Tuesday for the UCP to cancel — or “at least defer for further study” — its planned cut to the youth minimum wage.

“This policy will not create jobs and it will hurt our most vulnerable workers,” said NDP labour critic Christina Gray from the legislature on Tuesday, expressing concerns about how this will impact young students working to support themselves and their families, raising kids of their own and saving for post-secondary studies.

The change, which will take effect on Wednesday, will decrease the minimum wage for youth employees under 18 who are enrolled in full-time studies to $13 per hour, compared to $15 per hour for non-students and adults. Its goal is to address youth unemployment in Alberta, which sits at about 11 per cent compared to 6.7 per cent among the general population, and which the UCP have characterized as a “crisis.”

Gray, who represents Edmonton-Mill Woods, agreed that there is high youth unemployment in Alberta and that it must be addressed, but disagreed that it was a direct result of an increased minimum wage. Under the former NDP government, the minimum wage increased incrementally from $10.20 to $15 per hour.

“The idea that (youth unemployment) is the fault of a minimum wage increase and not related to a decline in our oil and gas industry and the economic difficulties I think is problematic,” said Gray, who says she has met with UCP Labour Minister Jason Copping multiple times to plead the case to cancel or delay the move.

In question period on Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney defended the move as a means to get youth back to work and criticized the NDP’s record on unemployment during its tenure. In November 2016, general unemployment in Alberta peaked at 9.1 per cent.

Gray pointed out that the policy, influenced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, has not alleviated youth unemployment in that province either, which had twice the general unemployment rate at 12.1 per cent in 2018.

“I think there are a number of other options that could be done to support youth unemployment that don’t involve people who are supporting themselves or helping to support their families or saving for school,” said Gray.

The idea that (youth unemployment) is the fault of a minimum wage increase and not related to a decline in our oil and gas industry ... I think is problematic.

Christina gray