Premier John Horgan and Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, have issued the following joint statement marking Labour Day:

“Today is Labour Day, a day when we celebrate workers in British Columbia. These are the people who build our communities, protect and care for our families, and keep our economy moving. It is also a day when we recognize the accomplishments of the labour movement in advocating for working people.

“The challenges of the past two years have reminded us about the hazards many workers face and the ongoing need to ensure they are treated with dignity. 

“In the past year, our government has taken more meaningful steps to make work safer and fairer in B.C. These steps include:

• increasing the minimum wage, which is now the highest of any province;
• introducing five paid sick days each year for workers covered by the Employment Standards Act, because no worker should need to make the choice between going to work sick or losing wages;
• introducing a single-step union certification process to protect and support workers who want more say about the terms and conditions of their employment through collective bargaining;
• taking new steps to further close the gender pay gap; and
• bringing British Columbia in line with international standards for children’s employment by raising the general working age from 12 to 16. We are now developing measures to protect 16-to-19-year-olds from hazardous work.

“Today, B.C. is leading Canada’s economic recovery. In the year ahead, we will continue to support a stronger B.C. that works for everyone.

“Happy Labour Day!”