NDP Leader Ryan Meili was joined by small business owner Bryn Rawlyk and student Karley Evans to commit to raising the minimum wage in Saskatchewan to $15 per hour to support frontline workers let down by the Sask. Party.
“On October 1, Scott Moe raised the minimum wage by just 13 cents, a raise that still leaves us with the lowest minimum wage in the country. That’s a slap in the face for families in Saskatchewan who are already stretched and stressed,” Meili said outside of the Night Oven Bakery in Saskatoon. “Scott Moe says he’s satisfied, but he’s left working families with less money to spend in local businesses. That’s not right. And it is hurting our economic recovery.”
A 2017 study showed that 96,000 Saskatchewan people make under $15/hour, representing fully 20 percent of the workforce.
“After paying rent and student loans, I don’t have much left to get me through the rest of the month,” said Karley Evans, a Saskatoon medical administration student who works full time. “The stress of juggling work, school and paying the bills takes its toll, and I know I’m not alone.”
Meili said the NDP would phase in the minimum wage increase over the first term of an NDP government. The NDP is also committed to a job creators’ plan to support local small businesses adjusting to the higher wage.
“With 19,000 fewer jobs in Saskatchewan compared to a year ago, investing in our economy and supporting local businesses are at the heart of our recovery plan,” Meili said. “We need to rebuild the province’s economy from the bottom up.”
In addition to raising the minimum wage, the New Democrats’ economic recovery plan commits an NDP government to:
“When people earning minimum wage and working full time are forced to choose between paying rent and buying groceries, that shows just how badly Scott Moe and the Sask. Party have let people down,” Meili said. “It doesn’t have to be this way. People have a choice this election: four more years struggling under a Sask. Party committed to the lowest minimum wage in the country, or a New Democrat government that will put people first.”
REGINA—Saskatchewan New Democrats unanimously approved a solidarity motion with the people of Ukraine, as well as all Saskatchewan people with friends and family in the region at Provincial Council on February 26, 2022.
REGINA—The Saskatchewan New Democrats set the rules and timing for a leadership contest at Provincial Council on February 26th. The new leader will be elected at a leadership convention in Regina in late June, 2022.
All Saskatchewan New Democratic Party members in good standing will be eligible to vote online or by mail-in ballot.
Standing with New Democratic Party candidate Melissa Patterson in Moose Jaw Wakamow today, NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on voters in his hometown to reject Scott Moe’s plan for dangerous cuts during a pandemic.