BC NDP calls for $10 minimum wage, prosperity gap campaign also sweet

This just in, the BC NDP has joined the campaign to raise the minimum wage to $10, following the lead of the federal and Ontario NDP as well. Certainly, different provinces have different needs, and I think democraticspace's idea of regional minimum wages is also pretty interesting. Nonetheless, the living costs of BC are freakin' huge, and our current minimum wage along with a host of other poverty fighting policies just don't cut it.

The BC Liberals have made some better calls this term than last, and stabilizing some of the housing in the downtown eastside by buying some of the single occupancy room hotels where the poorest in the city live, was a good call. Definitely could use more housing announcements like that, such as actually creating new social housing. Since the BC Liberals have been trying to appear more centrist as of late after losing 30 seats in the last provincial election, I do hope some planned increases in the minimum wage will also be a part of that dash to the centre. We'll have to wait and see until next year's budget, since there wasn't any increase this year.

I also must point out, that i'm really like some of the policies the NDP has coming out regarding the growing prosperity gap in Canada. Closing tax loopholes of skyrocketing CEO salaries as well as a host of other issues the party has been focusing on have been things i've been hoping they would be championing. In a time where the gap between the wealthiest and poorest in our society continues to worsen, focusing on policies that attempt to close this gap in a meaningful way, as opposed to a trickle down economics method, are exactly the kind of policies that a lot of people could find appealing.