Common goals

Just to toss in one more area for cooperation between the NDP and the Libs, at least one prominent Lib MP is indicating her support for the NDP's federal minimum wage bill:

An NDP motion to reinstate the federal minimum wage at $10 an hour ran into Conservative opposition Tuesday during debate on the creation of a national poverty strategy.

About 18,000 minimum-wage workers in the federal service would be affected by any change, which would also set a precedent for minimum wage increases at the provincial level.

The minimum wage plan was proposed in October by British Columbia MP Peggy Nash...

Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett brusquely rejected the argument that raising the minimum wage could harm the economy.

“I don’t think they get it,” the Toronto MP said. “I don’t think they get that $10 an hour is less than we give our seniors in OAS and GIS combined.”

Of course, Bennett's current position begs the question of why the Libs themselves scrapped the minimum wage over a decade ago. But if the rest of the Libs are onside with Bennett, then the Cons will find themselves siding with the Bloc (who are being rightly pilloried for their position) against workers across Canada for the moment - and there may be a real chance to get a federal minimum wage back in place following the next election.

(Edit: typo.)