Minimum wage vs poverty line - A question of ethics
11/28/2009 at 3:38 AM
Let's start this touchy subject off on the right foot. Being that Canada is a nation of citizens governed primarily by our Charter of Human Rights, my question to ebrandon is this:
"IS IT ETHICAL TO MAINTAIN A MINIMUM WAGE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE, or is the Canadian Government effectively legislating SLAVE LABOUR?" In other words, by legislating a minimum wage that is less than the required amount to meet Consumer Pricing Standards, has the Canadian Government essentially supported slave labour? What is a reasonable expectation for income with regards to poverty in Canada?
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/cpi.html http://canadaonline.about.com/library/bl/blminwage.htm http://www.ccsd.ca/factsheets/economic_security/poverty/lico_06.htm