Minimum wage in Canada: One woman’s story
No fancy meals and no vacations: ‘I am working poor’
CBC News Posted: Jan 14, 2014 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 14, 2014 7:06 AM ET
This is an article that could have been written forty-odd years ago, when I arrived on Canada’s doorstep as an immigrant. Knew that I would have to start at the bottom because citizens got the preferred jobs…and that was acceptable to me.
Over the years, I worked at several not-so-great jobs, got a University degree…and immediately found my final job as a labourer..a union job with decent pay and benefits..this was about 20 years after I arrived, became a Canadian citizen, etc. Was my ‘education’ a waste?
Nope..it helped me to use critical thinking in ways that benefited me, whether or not I actually used my degree for employment purposes.
While we are at it (and, obviously, I have no argument with immigrants working, etc.) let’s introduce ourselves to the working poor all over this country, immigrant or otherwise..
For instance, here on Vancouver Island,it is almost impossible to find anything but part-time minimum wage jobs for most of us..I thank the Harpsters for this..they’ve taken millions of dollars of our money and used it to fatten the coffers of their supporters by advertising non-existent job grants and back to work programs, while actually doing nothing for the working poor.
I can’t help but think that this is more voodoo economics from that unemployed economist, our Emperor Steve…
Education and experience are meaningless when the system is rigged. Now, even these minimum wage, part-time jobs are thin on the ground, and many chain stores (hardware, clothing, gas stations, etc.) are staffed by the very young and the very old…those who have less than supportive pensions, and those who have no other means of supporting themselves..
For those of us at retirement age, and I include myself in this bracket, not much is done other than conversations at higher political levels about what we need to do for seniors…nothing much happens…but for the young who really need the training for the new world jobs that are out there now going begging, this sort of fraudulent behaviour is criminal….
I get angry when I read still another diatribe about how the ‘boomers are taking all the jobs, have destroyed the economy, etc when I see rather frail seniors trying desperately to find part-time work to bolster their inadequate pensions (when they have pensions) and don’t even ask about those who have to rely on CPP and the OAP for support…stop blaming those who aren’t in control and start voting..
Those of you who are young enough to still have a future are the ones who refuse to participate in elections..and the result is that you help elect rightwing tyrants who could care less about your future..as a matter of fact, they love it when you don’t vote, because that helps to keep them in power…
The next time you decide, like me, to rant about the lack of decent jobs out there, look in the mirror and decide, finally, to support yourself and your future by voting for the person who will actually make an effort on your behalf to create jobs, and opportunities for training you and your peers for the next generation of challenging careers.
Left Over 
We have set the bar much too low in our expectations of our political leadership of all stripes. They’re morphed into one grey, gelatinous mass where you have to poke and prod and look very close to discern their distinctions. I once believed that getting Harper out would put us back on the right path but I’ve outgrown that now. 18th century economics, 19th century industrialism and 20th century geo-politics have brought us to an unhealthy place. They’ve lost what remained of their dwindling utility. We’re not organized – socially, economically or politically – to meet the many dynamic challenges that confront us as a global civilization going forward into this century. There’s a reason we hear no new ideas, no vision to inspire us. That’s because we have exhausted the old models even as we still cling to them.
I agree that most of the old models have been exhausted, but I don’t think that democracy, as a whole, can be consigned to the dustbin of history just yet..after all, we have nothing else to replace it with, and we are far too wealthy here in the West (comparatively speaking) to even fantasize about a revolution, nor yet even an evolution in thinking..rather, we should attempt to exhaust the possibilities still viable, despite our pessimism, and work to do the best we can with what we have left to work with…yep, the glass is still at least one third full..maybe that is because I’m just an old fossil who went through what was as close to revolution as North Americans could get, back in the 60’s, and it wasn’t an entire failure..it laid the groundwork for most of what we take for granted today especially in regards to equality…
Seems you should also be upset with the Liberals since they were in power when you used your degree to get your final job as a labourer.
Not a Lieberal fan by any means, but just to let you know, , ol’ lyin’ Brian Mulroney was in power when I graduated..’88.. and i lucked into that job and am eternally grateful for it…