Quebecers rally for $15 minimum wage in Montreal

Buoyed by the success of similar campaigns elsewhere,a coalition calling for a $15 hourly minimum wage in Quebec is capping a summer of action with a demonstration in Montreal on Saturday.

About1,500 protestors marchedfrom Le Prvost Park in Villeraytowards duParcMetro station, including Qubec Solidaire MNA Manon Mass, unions,anti-poverty groups andstudents.

Protest organizer CheolkiYoon said only 20 people attended a similar action last year, pointing to a growing need for better wages as more and more people find themselves in precarious or non-permanent jobs.

"Recently I met a worker who workedfor 26 years but her wage is $13after 26 years work experience," he said, adding that people can't escape poverty without a wage hike.

Cheolki said the debate is nowwhether to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour immediately or gradually.

More than just survival

Although the campaign for the $15 is nothing new, one of theorganizers feels there's been a "growing unanimity" that citizenscannot comfortably survive on minimum wage, currently $10.75 inQuebec.

"At $10.75, a person cannot live decently and with dignity,"said Daniel Boyer, the president of Quebec's largest labour
federation.

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The U.S. states of New York and California have approved measuresto gradually implement a $15 minimum wage, and Alberta passedregulations in September to follow suit.

In Quebec, striking workers at Montreal's Old Port have made theissue a part of their campaign, with sign-waving workers becoming aregular presence at parades and political events throughout thesummer.

Spokesman Konrad Lamour says some employees who have worked atthe port for more than eight years still make less than $15 an hour,while many part-time workers are making less.

Two-thirds have no paid sick days, he says, and some must resortto food banks to make ends meet.

"It's not enough," he said in an interview Friday. "Everythingelse is going high. The price of toilet paper, the price of food.Everything is going up except our salaries."

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Both Boyer and Lamour pointed to studies by a Quebec researchinstitute that recently pegged a "viable" minimum living wage at$15.10 provincewide.

Lamour said the Old Port workers, who have been on strike sinceMay 27, are not currently negotiating for $15 an hour as part ofconcessions they have made during the bargaining process.

But he hopes they have contributed to a wider campaign that willeventually provide another avenue to higher wages.

Rallies across Canada

Labour unions and anti-poverty activists across the country havelong been calling for a higher minimum wage as a way to reduceinequality and help lower-earning Canadians.

Alberta will move its minimum wage to $15 by 2018, while Ontariojust increased its minimum for the third consecutive year and isconsidering whether to provide a guaranteed minimum income ano-strings benefit that could replace various targeted socialbenefits.

Rallies to urge the government to raise the minimum wage havebeen held in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.

Business and industry groups have opposed the idea, saying itwould have a negative impact on jobs and hurt the very workers it isdesigned to protect.

Quebec government sends mixed signals

The Quebec government has been sending mixed messages when it comes to its willingness to consider the growing demand for a higher minimum wage.

Quebec's finance minister haspublicly said there is no needto drastically raise the current minimum wage.

A spokesman forLabour Minister Dominique Vien's cabinet, however, told CBC News at the rally that they're "not unsympathetic" to the growing movement.

Florent Tanletsaidthe government would need to strikea balance between the demands of employers and employees, adding that the labour ministry was looking at several different scenarios.

Premier Philippe Couillard also seems more open to the idea, saying he wouldconsider holding a debate on the subject as long as all sides areheard.

• Quebec's minimum wage rises 20 cents, to $10.75 an hour
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on the other hand, recently rejected the idea ofraising the federal minimum wage, saying his government is focusedon helping people succeed through tools such as the new childbenefit, investments in infrastructure and helping low- andmiddle-income students afford post-secondary education.

But advocates for raising the minimum wage say the predictions ofjob losses haven't come true following significant hikes elsewhere,and they suggest it could help the economy in the long run.

• Not all Alberta businesses opposed to $15 minimum wage
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"(People earning $15 an hour) won't be putting the money in taxhavens they'll spend it at a restaurant, seeing a movie, thingsthey can't do now," Boyer said.

"It's money that will bereinvested in the economy."