The New Democrats are continuing their campaign for a $10 an hour minimum wage, saying a disproportionate number of women live in poverty.
The party says those earning the current $8 an hour minimum wage are predominantly women, young people and new Canadians.
"I've been to press conferences where one mom was working in a store, and yet just so absolutely so poor at the end of the month, that she did something that she shouldn't have done -- she went and stole ... diapers," said federal NDP MP Olivia Chow, fighting back tears. "I can't believe it."
Chow says Canada is too rich a nation to have a minimum wage that forces working mothers to steal to make ends meet.
The NDP has tabled legislation in the Ontario legislature and the House of Commons calling for a $10 minimum wage.
There are an estimated 200,000 Ontario workers earning minimum wage, while 1.2 million make less than $10 an hour.
A report earlier this month by Campaign 2000 said one in six children in Ontario is poor. The advocacy group says the child poverty rate has been steadily climbing since 2001 and is now at 17.4 per cent.
Campaign 2000 also called on Dalton McGuinty's Liberals to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour.
McGuinty has said the minimum wage will eventually reach that mark.
"The issue on a go-forward basis is not whether we get to $10 an hour, the issue is what's the best way to get there, and can we do so in a way that strikes a balance between our low-income workers and the economy so we're not compromising jobs,'' he said last month.
