Editor:
Re: “Help for the working poor” by Miyuki Shinkai and Kelsey Oxley, Sunshine Coast Labour Council, Letters, May 28.
Making life more affordable for all Canadians has been a key pillar of our government’s work since 2015. That is why one of the first acts of the federal government was to raise taxes on the top one per cent so we could lower them for everyone else. In 2019, it was to pass legislation so that Canadians would not pay income tax on the first $15,000 of net income by 2023, from $12,069 in 2019.
Due to these tax changes, the steady increase in the Canada Child Benefit, and other poverty alleviation measures, over 1.3 million Canadians have been lifted out of poverty since 2015, including 435,000 children and 45,000 seniors. As of 2019, poverty and income inequality are at their lowest levels since 1995.
However, there remains much work to do, particularly in regions with a high cost of living, such as on the Sunshine Coast. Many of the vulnerabilities in our society have been highlighted over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, as those working in lower paying jobs and gig work were among the most impacted, exacerbating existing societal inequalities.
That is why Budget 2021 establishes a federal minimum wage of $15/hour and expands eligibility to the Canada Workers Benefit to one million more Canadians. This Benefit provides a tax refund of up to $1,400 to individuals and $2,400 for low wage workers and is estimated to lift over 100,000 more Canadians out of poverty.
These measures and new labour protections for gig workers will greatly reduce low wage work, increase social mobility in our communities, and reduce income insecurity for those in some of the least secure sectors. This is fundamental to ensure an equitable and inclusive recovery, and I thank the Sunshine Coast Labour Council for their advocacy for workers across the Sunshine Coast.
Patrick Weiler, MP
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
