The Parti Québécois (PQ) is asking the Government of Quebec to gradually raise the minimum hourly wage of Quebecers to $18 in order to fight against the impoverishment of workers.
In a press release published Monday, the PQ denounces in the same breath the growing income inequalities in Quebec and the lack of concrete actions to remedy them.
The MNA for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, protests that on January 3, the big Canadian bosses had already earned the annual salary of the average worker. For the hon. member, it is unjustifiable to tolerate such inequities in a rich and developed society like that of Quebec.
That day, a report from the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) added that Canada’s 100 highest-earning business leaders broke records in 2021, earning 243 times what the average Canadian worker earned. The vast majority of these executives’ compensation came not from their salary, but from variable compensation like bonuses, stock options, and stock.
Pascal Bérubé affirms that in the context of high inflation which, he affirms, has greatly impoverished Quebec families in 2022, the actions of the Quebec government have been too timid to help Quebec workers in a lasting way, particularly the least wealthy. He believes that a current minimum wage of $14.25 an hour, which equates to about $27,000 a year, is not enough to live with dignity.
The Parti Québécois member mentions in particular the increases in the prices of food, energy and housing. He maintains that the checks distributed by the Government of Quebec will not solve the root of the problem.
In its most recent release on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Statistics Canada revealed that year-over-year inflation remained almost constant in November in Canada, rising to 6 .8%, but grocery prices rose at a faster rate. Prices for food purchased from stores rose 11.4% year over year in November, after rising 11% in October.