Wages and jobs were a prime focus of debate in the Saskatchewan legislature recently.
The issue of wage levels that came up Monday, April 30 in question period. Opposition leader Ryan Meili raised the issue with Premier Scott Moe, and that exchange is recorded in Hansard.
Mr. Meili: —My question today for the premier is, does he believe that someone who is working full-time hours in Saskatchewan should be earning enough that they don’t need to count on supports like the food bank and other social services just to make ends meet?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, over the last decade it’s been this government, a Saskatchewan Party government under Premier Wall, and all of the members and others on this side of the house that have consistently and repeatedly advocated for a stronger economy here in the province of Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, they have advocated for that to some success, I might put forward, with some 62,000-plus jobs here in the province of Saskatchewan, in communities right across this province, in communities where I live, in communities in the north and in all corners of the province of Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker.
… This is our growth agenda, Mr. Speaker. This is our plan for growth. This is the Saskatchewan advantage and this is the path that we’ll continue on, Mr. Speaker.
The Speaker: —I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Meili: —Fifteen per cent of those who use food banks in the province cite wages as their main source of income. Does the premier believe that people working full time should be earning enough to have incomes that lift them over the poverty line?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, as I said, as we continue to advocate for a stronger economy here, wages continue to increase in the province of Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker. And in fact since February of 2007 our wages, average weekly earnings in this province are up some 38 per cent to $730.24, Mr. Speaker. …
Meili also brought up the issue of the minimum wage and called for it to be raised to $15 an hour.
Mr. Meili: —… Mr. Speaker, no one who’s working full time should have to choose between paying their rent, feeding their family, or keeping the lights on.
Responsibility for this injustice, Mr. Speaker, rests with the premier. It rests with his cabinet. They set the minimum wage and, after a decade in power, they’ve allowed workers in our province to fall further and further behind. Many are calling … for the minimum wage to be raised to $15 an hour. But at the rate we’re going, Saskatchewan won’t have a $15-an-hour minimum wage for 17 more years. This inaction hurts people and it stunts our economic growth.
The premier has admitted there is more to do. Will the premier commit to raising the minimum wage enough to lift hard-working Saskatchewan people out of poverty?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, since 2007 minimum wage in this province has been raised some 10 times, up some 37 per cent in just over a decade. We committed to a process a few years ago. That process involved indexing our minimum wage to a formula that we put forward at that point in time and consulted on, that was weighted on the average increase of the consumer price index as well as the average hourly wage for Saskatchewan people.
This has been the position of this government since we introduced that. It was a formula that was put forward at that point in time. We stand by it. And I guess my question to the members opposite: are they committed to a $15 minimum wage here in the province of Saskatchewan? I think employers in this province would like to know.
Two days later Meili raised the topic of the minimum wage again , but Premier Moe’s response wasn’t much different from before.
Mr. Meili: —… Mr. Speaker, will the premier commit to doing the right thing and the smart thing? Will he raise the minimum wage to a level that will help working people get out of poverty?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — Mr. Speaker, we’ve been doing that for a number of years now with a formula that we put forward a few years ago, and we continue to follow here in the province of Saskatchewan.
And I think the member opposite should ensure that when he is talking about the affordability of Saskatchewan families and in particular those Saskatchewan families that are at the lower income earning levels, he takes into account all of the affordability factors, minimum wage being but one of them. Because the fact of the matter is this, a family of four in this province with a $50,000 income level is still going to pay $2,300 less each and every year than they did when members opposite were on this side of the house, Mr. Speaker.
Understanding there is more to do, Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure that we have a strong economy so that people have every opportunity to expand . . .
[Interjections]
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, we also need to ensure that we have a strong economy here in the province of Saskatchewan so that people, individuals, families across this province, have every opportunity to further their career choices, have every opportunity to find a better life here in the province of Saskatchewan, a better career, Mr. Speaker, and ensure that our level of affordability is strong here, Mr. Speaker.
Mining layoffs of up to 1,300 workers at Nutrien were also in the news. On May 1, Saskatoon Fairview MLA Vicki Mowat raised that issue with Minister of Trade, Jeremy Harrison. In that exchange Mowat noted another item that made news: the recently departed former premier had just landed a new consulting gig with a Calgary law firm.
Ms. Mowat: —There are hundreds of layoffs coming to workers of two different mines. That’s hundreds of families all within entire communities of Allan and Vanscoy that will be impacted by these layoffs.
This is a significant hit to our province’s economy. Saskatchewan’s job growth is one of the slowest in the country, and recent reports show that other than Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan has the slowest growth in weekly earnings since last year. So the premier really had to twist those facts yesterday to highlight the exact opposite. In reality, people are leaving to find opportunities elsewhere. Even Brad Wall had to go all the way to Calgary to find a job.
So what’s the plan to get our economy back on track and to ensure jobs for the people of the province?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Trade.
Hon. Mr. Harrison: —Well personally, I think it’s a ridiculous cheap shot from the NDP about our former premier who served this province with a huge amount of dedication and integrity over the course of the last decade.
[Interjections]
The Speaker: —I recognize the minister.
Hon. Mr. Harrison: —As I said, a ridiculous cheap shot from the members opposite. The former premier is going to continue to reside in Saskatchewan. He’s working for a national law firm, and we wish him the very best. And I would hope that all members would hope him and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.
With regard to the member’s question, the reality is, on average weekly earnings we’ve seen an increase over the course of the last decade of over 38 per cent. An increase in average weekly earnings, the second-highest percentage growth in the entire country.
We’ve also seen the second-highest growth rate of job creation in the entire county. We know that they only have one economic policy opposite, that they’ve put on the record. And that one policy is a carbon tax and that policy will kill jobs.
