Activists fight for for $15 minimum wage in Ottawa

Labor activists and community organizers in downtown Ottawa rallying for a $15-per-hour minimum wage. Photo by James Morgan

Last week, labor and political activists took to the streets in Ottawa to make their case for a $15-per-hour minimum wage. It was part of a Fight for 15 and Fairness day of action that took place in cities across Canada to demand governments end low wages and precarious employment practices. The regular minimum wage in Ontario right now is $11.25 per hour. In Quebec, it’s $10.75. Canada has no federal minimum wage.

Around 300 people gathered downtown at the corner of Elgin and Slater Streets at noon. A banjo player got the crowd warmed up with a couple of good old labor folk songs before short speeches from union leaders and community organizers.

Fast food worker and ACORN activist Amber Slegtenhorst. Photo by James Morgan

Amber Slegtenhorst works in the fast food business and is a single mother of five children. She’s also a board member of the Ottawa branch of ACORN Canada (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). Two of her children have medical conditions that require medication but her job does not provide benefits to pay for it. “We cannot survive on what we have,” she told the crowd, adding, “Costs go up, wages stay the same.” Slegtenhorst said even managers in the fast food business are paid low wages, and notes servers in those restaurants do not receive tips either.

“We’re going to fight and labor has to fight together,” said Larry Rousseau, the Regional Executive Vice President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), a union that represents workers in both the federal and provincial governments. In Ottawa, PSAC members who work for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation at Rideau Carleton Raceway have been locked out since December 15.  Rousseau also implied that wages and benefits for workers also are a racial issue. “Black lives matter! Workers of color matter!” he told the crowd.

Speakers at the rally expressed frustration at plans to introduce a $15-per-hour minimum wage in New York and California. “Let’s catch up!” was Amber Slegtenhorst’s call to Canadians. Larry Rousseau said “Fairness starts now,” saying Canadian provinces should introduce the $15 minimum immediately and plans in New York and California to gradually introduce that rate are too slow.

The Ottawa Fight for $15 and Fairness march heading towards the Rideau Centre mall. Photo by James Morgan

After the speeches, the crowd marched over the Mackenzie King Bridge to the entrance of the Rideau Centre mall where it briefly stopped to show support for minimum wage-earning retail workers. It then travelled another block and ended in front of the old jail hostel on Nicholas Street. Michael Bueckert, President of the Graduate Students Association at Carleton University, and Anne-Marie Roy, a Department Chair for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) were among those participating. Bueckert said students are often employed in jobs with precarious wages and conditions. Roy said the job market is especially bleak looking for new graduates.

Justice for Janitors and the SEIU took part in the demonstration. Photo by James Morgan

Other labor groups and unions represented at the Fight for $15 and Fairness rally included UNIFOR, Canada’s largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, and the Justice for Janitors campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The Ottawa Filipino Migrant Society also endorsed the event. A similar demonstration was also held across the River in Gatineau, Quebec.

Tags: canada, labor, minimum wage, ottawa, unions