Minimum wages are steadily increased without increased unemployment. Margaret Wente should do more research or the Globe should have Jim Stanford tell the truth. Reality is that income distributions have become steadily more unequal to the detriment of the economy as the wealthy constitute a new plutocracy while the people who spend all their money have little money to spend.
Wente should take a historical look. She will find that low wage workers earn less and less. Increasing minimum wages to a percentage of average wages is best. In the Nordics,  Germany, even Australia, minimum wage is over $20 enhancing demand and fairness.
Time and again business councils have warned that minimum wage increases would cut employment and 95 per cent of the time they have been proven wrong.
Wente is voice for the upper middle class greedy, indifferent to child poverty and people sleeping on the streets.
Canada 150? In 1967 the country had far more equality. Everything has gone backwards since.