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United Conservative Party leadership candidate Doug Schweitzer is calling for a sharp cut to Alberta’s minimum wage in 2019 if the UCP wins the next provincial election, but the plan was met with skepticism about its feasibility.

The NDP government is on course to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018 to keep an election promise, with the last increase in October 2016 putting the current wage at $12.20 an hour.

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Schweitzer said Thursday that if he leads the UCP to victory in the 2019 provincial election, the new government would roll back the minimum wage from $15 an hour to $12.20.

He said many small businesses say a $15-an-hour minimum wage will simply mean they won’t hire, and the additional cost could put them out of business.

“This is more about what is in the best interests of Alberta, how do we make sure we’re competitive overall. The $15 an hour isn’t working, isn’t going to work,” the Calgary lawyer said in an interview.