I am grateful that the labour standards in Canada are significantly better than in the US.
But things aren't perfect here. Inflation is very high. Things have always been expensive here and it's only getting worse. And yeah, pay sucks for a lot of jobs.
And we have the same out of touch conservatives who spew the same bullshit tropes about how “nobody wants to work!”
Yes. We have a labour shortage. We also have literally historic lows in our unemployment rate. The problem is not that people don't want to work. The truth is that there has been a shift in the labour market and some jobs/business need to either adapt, or die.
During the pandemic, all my friends who worked as cooks lost their jobs since restaurants were shut down. It was brutal for them. But many were able to find new jobs in different industries. Those meal service companies need chefs, and these jobs were a dream compared to working in a restaurant kitchen. Much higher pay. Stable, normal 9 to 5 hours. Benefits. Job stability. My friend has been a cook for 20 years, he told me he's never going back because why would he? He finally has a life, and meaningful pay. He's over the moon.
Now local restaurants are whining about how they can't find cooks and that nobody wants to work. Sorry pal, nobody wants to work – for you. Your former kitchen guys have jobs. Better jobs. Why would they go back? Give them a reason.
Nobody wants to work? Give me a break.