Newfoundland and Labrador NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) wrote Premier Wakeham today with questions on the upcoming minimum wage increase and for a commitment from the PC government to make minimum wage a living wage.
Wages are set to increase on April 1st, but Dinn is concerned that nothing has been confirmed by the PC government that the increase will go ahead. He says not only does the government have to be transparent and forward-looking with their minimum wage plans but also argues that there needs to be a clear plan on how that wage will eventually rise to a living wage.
“Increases to the minimum wage announced by your predecessors were contained in Labour Standards Regulations. In effect they were more akin to policy and could be changed at the whim of the government,” Dinn wrote. “Your administration has an opportunity to make some real changes in the lives of thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians working at minimum wage jobs and struggling with affordability.”
“In 2025, the minimum wage increased by .40¢ to $16.00 an hour. According to a 2024 report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) the hourly wage needed to cover basic expenses across four regions of the province were much higher (Central Newfoundland: $24.10; Eastern Newfoundland: $24.70; Western Newfoundland: $23.10; Northern Peninsula and Labrador: $27.30),” Dinn continued. “At that time, it was estimated that about 17,000 workers earn the minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador. In effect, the minimum wage is a poverty wage.”
During the recent election, the NL NDP ensured that raising the minimum wage, along with giving a tax cut to small businesses, was presented as a plan forward to eventually having a living wage for those working minimum wage jobs. Dinn is calling now on Premier Wakeham to publicly state where his party stands on minimum wage, as it was absent from their election platform.