The prime minister made the statement during an exchange in the House of Representatives with Québec solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
The latter called for the minimum wage to be raised from $14.25 to $18 an hour, which Mr. Legault refused, saying the average wage should be increased instead.
We want people who make $25 an hour, which is about average in Quebec, to go up to $26, $27, $28. That’s our goal. We have a lot more ambition than QS, he said.
However, in his response, François Legault admitted that frankly, arriving at $18 an hour is difficult, especially when you have children. A shocking and very revealing admission, Mr Nadeau-Dubois reacted in an interview.
He points out that 800,000 people in Quebec make less than $18 an hour.
What François Legault realized today is that he is very aware that these 800,000 people cannot arrive and that he has chosen not to change anything about this situation.
She decides to keep the minimum wage at a level that doesn’t even allow them to live in dignity. It’s a decision he’s making consciously, Mr Nadeau-Dubois was outraged.
“It’s like saying, ‘I’m choosing to leave people who work full-time in poverty. For me it is very serious. »
— A quote from Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
In his opinion, it is quite possible to increase the average wage and at the same time raise the basic wage, i.e. the minimum wage.
The member for Gouin cited the example of Ontario, which twice last year raised the minimum wage to $15.50 without causing economic disaster.
The sky doesn’t fall on their heads, he emphasized in the Blue Salon.
For his part, Mr Legault reiterates that we must be careful: excessive increases in the minimum wage could lead to job losses, he warned.
Wages are about 8% higher on average in Ontario, he said. If we exceed 50% of salary [médian] for the minimum wage we will create more negative than positive effects.
The Legault government promises a slight increase in the minimum wage for 2023, while QS wants to raise it all at once or in stages over the next year to $18 an hour.