CALGARY – The Alberta New Democrats’ Affordability Agenda puts workers at the forefront and will protect the tips that service workers rely on, incrementally raising the minimum wage to $18 per hour, and bring students in line with the general minimum wage rates.

“We’re just days from the start of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, and the people who work hard to make it happen deserve a government that cares about protecting the wages that help them pay bills and buy groceries,” said Naheed Nenshi, Leader of the Alberta NDP. “Albertans deserve good wages and tips that can’t be stolen by their employer - protections that an Alberta NDP will implement after years of a UCP-led race to the bottom, hurting workers across the province.”

Alberta is one of the only jurisdictions in Canada that does not have legislation to ensure workers in the service industry keep the tips they earn. An Alberta NDP government will fix that.

Alberta’s minimum wage is the lowest in Canada at $15/hour and has not increased since 2018. An Alberta NDP government will fix that.

Alberta is also one of only two jurisdictions where young workers under 18 can be paid less, at just $13/hour for doing the same work as someone 18 years or older. An Alberta NDP government will fix that.

“The UCP government isn’t interested in the thousands of Albertans struggling to afford the basics, but we are.” said Calgary Mountain View MLA, Kathleen Ganley. “They’ve had chance after chance to support workers with common sense changes we’ve proposed – they rejected every one. Albertans deserve better; they deserve a government that believes in fairness for workers and affordability.”

Our key proposals to protect Alberta workers’ pay cheques:

• Introduce tip protection measures to ensure gratuities go directly to the workers who earn them and to prevent tip skimming.
• Raise Alberta’s minimum wage by $1 per year for three years, until it reaches $18/hour.
• Index the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), so the pay cheques keep pace with the cost of living.
• Eliminate the youth minimum wage differential, so workers under 18 receive the same minimum wage as other workers, not $2 less per hour for the same jobs.

Full details of the NDP’s Alberta Affordability Agenda can be found at Alberta Affordability Agenda: Keeping More Money In Your Pocket