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B.C.'s lowest paid workers deserve a raise. Minimum wage earners working full-time should earn enough to stay above the poverty line. That can only be achieved by immediately raising the minimum wage to at least $10.00 per hour.

The Canadian Federation of Students is working with the BC Federation of Labour on a campaign to raise BC's minimum wage. Our goal is to win a wage increase for the 115,000 British Columbians who earn $8 per hour along with another 135,000 people who earn less than $10. And we want to scrap the so-called $6 training wage.

The provincial government likes to crow about a booming economy—but it's only booming for a few.

B.C.'s lowest paid workers have been left behind by the BC government because our minimum wage has been frozen since 2001. And the number of minimum wage jobs in B.C. has actually increased since 2001 when the Liberals were first elected—a sure sign that economic prosperity isn't being shared in our province.

To ensure that no worker in B.C. lives below the poverty line, the We are calling for a three-step increase in the minimum wage:

* An immediate increase to $10 combined with the elimination of the $6 training wage;
* A subsequent increase to $11 per hour one year later; and
* An indexing formula, so that like our provincial politicians, those earning the minimum can be assured of an annual increase in pay.

BROAD SUPPORT
Our polling shows that nearly 80 per cent of British Columbians support an increase to $10 NOW. And we're reaching out to win the backing of community leaders as well. Many municipal councils and politicians are echoing our call for an immediate pay boost for B.C.'s lowest paid workers.

Adult basic education is the provision of elementary and secondary level education to adults through BC's community college system. The college system is used as the delivery method for adult basic education in recognition that many adults achieve a higher rate of success when studying in a college environment, rather than returning to high school.
Adult basic education is an integral part of BC's education systems, playing a role in increasing adult literacy (36% of adults in BC are illiterate), and improving high school completion and post-secondary participation rates within BC's Aboriginal population. To be effective, adult basic education must be accessible to all of those who need it. However, there are a number of barriers to accessing adult basic education that need to be addressed by the BC government, including the massive fees charged by some institutions.

Students in BC have made accessible adult basic education a priority and are asking government to do the same. Please find below a link to the Federation's Fact Sheet on ABE.

Through the BC Component of the Federation, Malaspina students are regularly represented to MLA's, BC Cabinet Ministers and senior government officials. To inform the lobbying efforts by student representatives at all levels, the Federation produces research on key government decisions to assess how students are affected.

The link below contains a membership advisory on the 2007 BC Budget. This document and its content were the basis for the lobby efforts undertaken as part of the 2007 Lobby Days held in April.

For more information about Federation and Students' Union lobbying or about Federation research, please contact Michael Olson, Malaspina Representative to the Canadian Federation of Students BC Executive.