Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Cook, you are in favour of a $15 minimum hourly wage.
We know the federal government indicated last October 7 that it would not be increasing the federal minimum wage for employees subject to the Canada Labour Code, and that several provinces chose to increase the minimum wage, some to $15 an hour, progressively, over several years.
As I've already said at other meetings of this committee, we can't study poverty reduction in isolation. I represent a riding where the presence of SMEs is important, as is in fact the case throughout Canada. They generate approximately 85% of jobs. We cannot talk about a $15 minimum wage without considering tax programs for SMEs and the various support programs designed for them.
What do you have to say to those who claim that increasing the minimum wage could have negative consequences on employment?