Minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $9.00 per hour

[Maxwell]

None of these options fill my views, but nevertheless I'll try to explain.

I think there should be a yearly increase on the minimum wage based on the level of inflation. I think that could be agreed on in a bi-partisan consensus. My personal feelings are that price floors and price ceilings do not work, and I am backed up by basic economics in 95% of cases, but the minimum wage is something that, frankly, is ingrained and is needed in a society to prevent true poverty from hitting people that are already working.

However, going from 7.25 to 9.00, a 24% increase, is going to be too drastic for those employing people right now for one thing. They aren't going to be as willing to employ people who aren't as experienced. This effects things in a number of ways: its going to be harder for younger and less experienced people to GET the experience they need because employers are less willing, and I think that lowers the work force too much.

[Maxwell]

Minimum wage is over $10 here now. One of the few good things the McGuinty government did, although it was the NDP's idea. The minimum wage should be fixed to the poverty line.

Well then it would be around $8, but i absolutely agree that it should be fixed there, meaning increasing to inflation.