Reality Check: UCP Leadership Candidate wants nearly 20 per cent rollback of minimum wage

For immediate release
September 8, 2017

EDMONTON – UCP leadership candidate Doug Schweitzer wants a nearly 20% rollback of the minimum wage in 2019. Taking away nearly a fifth of minimum wage workers’ paycheques will hurt families, increase poverty and hurt the Alberta economy.

Alberta’s minimum wage will be $15 per hour in 2019. UCP candidate Schweitzer called for the minimum wage to roll back $2.80, or an 18.7% decrease.[1] This follows the statements made by UCP members of the Alberta Legislative Assembly, who opposed increasing the minimum wage at all.

What does it say about a party that wants to give those at the top a big tax break, while cutting the paycheques of Alberta’s lowest paid workers? They have the wrong priorities.

The UCP caucus must distance themselves from this draconian policy.

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[1] Doug Schweitzer, September 7 2017. http://www.dougschweitzer.com/schweitzer_announces_minimum_wage_proposal