Federal Minimum Wage in Canada

It seems that the proposed reintroduction of federal minimum wage (set at $10/hr) has failed. The New Democrat motion, which was supported by the Liberals (who oddly enough axed the minimum wage in 1996), did not receive enough support, as a combination of Bloc and Conservative MPs voted against it.

While I'm not surprised that the Tories voted against it, I'm a bit disappointed at the Bloc. The Bloc voted against the motion because they feared it would have negative repercussions on provincial rights. This was probably aided by the fact the New Democrats consistently supported this motion because in addition to the need for a strong minimum wage federally, they argued the bill's passage would encourage provinces to make similar increases. The argument of setting an example for the provinces was likely put forward as a partisan tactic for minimum wage campaigns in both Ontario and B.C. (which I support fully) just as much as it was for principled reasons.

I think its clear that federal minimum wage would have been solely for federal employees, and wouldn't have had any real effects on the provinces (specifically Quebec). That being said, I'm disappointed in the Bloc members that voted against this bill. However, I remain supportive of sovereignty. At least the Bloc opposed the bill on some rational principle, unlike the Tories, who opposed it because of Canada's "booming" economy.