Anti-poverty group blasts CFIB report

The Common Front for Social Justice is criticizing a new report that warns minimum wage increases could put future jobs at risk.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business released a national report last week saying a 10 per cent increase in minimum wages across Canada could have a devastating effect on jobs.

New Brunswick could lose as many as7,000 jobs, according to the report. Positions could be left unfilled and hours could be cut.

'I don't think there's a lot of job training to flip hamburgers or to sell in a retail store.' Jean-Claude Basque, Common Front for Social Justice

The CFIB is advocating governments invest in worker training instead of raising the minimum wage.

Jean-Claude Basque,provincial co-ordinator for the Common Front for Social Justice, an anti-poverty organization, said he doesn't believe the report issued by the small business lobby group.

He said there aren't many opportunities to advance in most minimum wage jobs, so replacing a higher minimum wage with a training incentive would have no effect.

"I don't think there's a lot of job training to flip hamburgers or to sell in a retail store. I think that's not a real issue," Basque said.

New Brunswick has a plan to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour by Sept. 1, 2011

Andreea Bourgeois, the CFIB's director for New Brunswick, said if the minimum wage goes up to $10 an hour as many as 7,000 entry level jobs will be affected in the province.

"It deters employers from hiring people that haven't been on the market like we're talking about either recent immigrants that don't have any Canadian experience, or we're talking about very young people whocoming just right out of school," Bourgeois said.

Bourgeois has already made her presentation to Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Martine Coulombe and has a followup meeting scheduled.