Premier Heather Stefanson said she will consider raising the minimum wage in Manitoba but said her primary concern is addressing labor shortages in the province.
Stefanson made the comments at a provincial news conference Monday.
Manitoba is set to have the lowest minimum wage in the country come fall, after Saskatchewan announced it will raise its minimum wage from $11.81 to $13 in October.
Meanwhile, the Manitoba government announced in April that the minimum wage will rise in this province to $12.35 on Oct. 1. Although the wage is increasing, it will become the lowest across Canada.
When asked if she would do anything about Manitoba’s low ranking status, Stefanson said her priority is addressing the current labor shortage, noting the province’s minimum wage is indexed to inflation.
“I’ve talked to several different industries where they’re having difficulties finding labor and where it’s a supply and demand issue,” she said.
“So right now, I suspect that there’s less that are actually paying minimum wage. They’re probably paying above that right now because of the shortage of labour, but it’s obviously something we’ll take into consideration.”
Although Stefanson acknowledged inflation has ballooned across the country, she said she is focused on ensuring workers can be trained through the provincial nominee program to address the labor shortage.
NDP Leader Wab Kinew said it is time for the minimum wage to go up in Manitoba, saying the PC government indexed the minimum wage to a poverty wage.
He said his party wants to raise it to $15 and then tie it to a living wage that would keep pace with inflation.
“Most people say right now $15 an hour is a proxy for a living wage in Manitoba, but given the inflation that we’re all feeling right now, the cost of gas, the cost of groceries going up, we know that in the coming years it’s going to increase. So it’s important for minimum wage in Manitoba to keep pace with that so that,” he said.