Alberta leader pushes for minimum-wage cuts

EDMONTON — Alberta’s Opposition leader said if his party wins power it will seriously consider reducing the minimum wage for youth and alcohol servers.

Jason Kenney of the United Conservative Party said that would help struggling eateries keep their doors open while allowing them to hire more people.

He said servers have told him that they would rather have the extra hours, given they can make far more in tips — about $30 an hour or more.

“I always talk to the servers [when dining out]. And every single one I’ve talked to in the past two-plus years across this province said they would rather have extra hours than an extra buck-fifty as a base wage,” Kenney said Tuesday.

He made the comments in a speech to restaurant owners at an Edmonton event put on by the industry advocacy group Restaurants Canada.

Restaurants Canada said a sluggish economy, regulatory changes and a high minimum wage brought in by the NDP government have erased profit margins in what is already a razorthin industry.

Premier Rachel Notley’s government increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour across the board. Alcohol servers used to make a dollar an hour less than the minimum wage on the assumption they would get it back in tips. That disparity was eliminated under the NDP.

Kenney has not committed to putting a graduated minimum wage into his platform, but has said the party doesn’t plan to raise minimum pay.

He said Tuesday he sees a lot of merit in a graduated approach, given that different age ranges have different needs and the goal for everyone is a thriving industry with lots of jobs.