I often wonder if you know what life is like for "real" Canadians. When you sit in your ivory tower with its view of Capital Hill, drinking your $12 Starbucks coffee, do you wonder what life in this country is really like? I am here to explain it to you.
I am a proud Canadian. I love the things this country stands for, I love that my children do not have to fear persecution if they are LGBT, that my husband and I are an interracial couple, that we are free to be ourselves and have our own thoughts, beliefs, live our lives any way we choose. What I do not love is that our government has chosen to ignore the needs of its working class.
You see, I am a 35 year old Canadian woman, who has been working full time for almost 20 years, and has still yet to ever make more than $11.40 per hour. I am also an educated person, I have been a tradesperson my entire adult life, yet I cannot afford to survive.
As we all know, in recent years, the cost of living in this country has gone sky high, however the powers that be in Ottawa refuse to raise the minimum wage to something that people could live on.
Here in my city (In the suburbs of the GTA), rent has become so astronomical that according to my income, my family of 6 *should* be living in a bachelor apartment, or renting a room, and even that would be a struggle. But we live (at least for the next week or so, since I have no hope of paying my rent this month) in a shoebox sized townhouse, which we are paying $1525 per month for (and this is actually shockingly low for my city, when you look at rental listings, there are now 1 bedroom apartments listed for $1300+)
Now, my income is approximately $2000 per month, despite my doing everything possible to increase that. I have children, and a husband who is unable to find work at all (apparently no one is willing to hire someone over the age of 40 anymore) so after rent, tell me how a family is expected to live on $475 per month?
Have you ever sat in your mansion (your salaries are public record, just try to tell me that its not a mansion) and tried to figure out where your next meal is coming from? Have you cried in the bathroom because your kids want a snack and you just cant afford it? Have you panicked because your kid came home from school saying that their shoes are too small, but you cant afford a new pair? Do you know what life is like for the residents of your country?
What about basic needs? Do you take them for granted? Do you have to choose between buying deodorant or a package of hotdogs? I make that choice constantly. I bet you have a fancy pair of $800 designer glasses (a medical necessity) that your government health insurance covers, I've never had benefits in my life, so my husband, myself, and my daughter who all need glasses have to scrimp and save for something that would be extremely dangerous if we didn't have them.
I am 100% willing to work my ass off for anything. You would never meet a harder worker than me. I currently work 25 hours a week at one job (no one hires for more than part time anymore either.) 15-20 hours at another, and then take on as much freelance work as I can possibly squeeze into the remaining hours. I have never received welfare or government assistance of any kind. I never have and never would ask for any kind of handout. But I am asking for fair wages.
I know that you are under pressure from the business owners who claim they cant pay their workers more, but for every greedy business owner, there has to be one who actually cares about their employees and doesn't want to see them living in a homeless shelter. I know that I'm just a no body, just a faceless, nameless number on a tax return, but there are millions of other no bodies just like me all over this country, and all we want is to know that when we wake up tomorrow, there wont be an eviction notice on our door. Please vote to raise the minimum wage, please care about the hardworking public, we voted for you, now we need you to return the favor.
