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Today, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced his plan to establish a federal minimum wage and eventually develop it into a living wage.

The plan, announced today at Toronto’s Labour Day parade and the Hamilton Labour Day Picnic, would see the NDP immediately establish a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour.

The minimum wage would then be increased each year to reach a living wage within a first four-year mandate.

A living wage is quantified as the amount that a family of four with two parents working full-time would need to earn to pay for necessities, based on the actual cost of living (estimated to be $21.75 per hour in Toronto).

“New Democrats know where we stand - on the side of workers. If you’re working full time, you should be able to make ends meet,” says Singh.

Singh criticized the Liberals, who he says have neglected workers in this regard.

“Justin Trudeau promised to bring fairness to workplaces across Canada, but instead they’ve sided with big business and betrayed workers time and again. Today, I’m proud to stand with our labour allies and support workers by addressing issues Liberals have long ignored.”

Singh also plans to modernize sections of the Canadian Labour Code to provide greater protections for workers, including banning the use of replacement workers in labour disputes and delivering fair compensation for part-time and contract workers.

Happy Labour Day from Toronto!!



Canada's New Democrats are committed to raising the federal minimum wage to $15 immediately - and growing that to a living wage - because if you work full time, you should be able to make ends meet: https://t.co/pTp66MDMRZ pic.twitter.com/ly5PX4c7fV — Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 2, 2019

According to the NDP report, a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour would give an immediate raise to approximately 67,000 workers across Canada, including bank tellers, truck drivers, airport staff, and more.

“This will make a huge difference for thousands of families who work so hard but are struggling to get by,” says Mark Hancock, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

“As Canada’s largest union, CUPE also applauds the NDP’s promise to protect workers’ rights to a fair contract by banning the use of replacement workers in labour disputes.”

Pam Frache, provincial campaign coordinator for Ontario organization “Fight for $15 & Fairness”, also expressed approval for the plan, saying, “Workers needed a $15 federal minimum wage four years ago. In a country as rich as Canada it is unacceptable that minimum wage earners cannot afford a modest one bedroom apartment.”

What do you think of the NDP’s plan to develop a living wage?