Article content

Alberta’s NDP government will press ahead with plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour despite the fiscal crisis facing the province.

Rachel Notley said last week the election pledge will not be deferred, unlike other promises that have been put on the shelf due to the collapse of oil prices.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Premier charging ahead on minimum wage hike, but opposition says 'whoa' Back to video

She said her government has reached out to the business community and listened to its calls to cut the small business tax and bring in a capital investment tax credit, but the minimum wage hike is going ahead as planned.

“I am pleased that we’re able to work with the business community to help them move forward,” she told reporters last week. “But when it comes to the minimum wage, we also believe particularly that at times like this it is not appropriate for a single parent to work 50 or 60 hours a week and have to stop at the food bank two or three times every week to feed their family,”

Labour Minister Christina Gray said Wednesday the government is fully committed to consulting Albertans as it moves forward with its plan to phase in a $15 minimum wage by 2018.