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By Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: NDP child labour change uncalled for

May 9, 2019 | 12:38 PM

I HAVE FOND MEMORIES of my first few jobs as a youngster in the Shuswap. I was about 12 or 13 years old when I started trimming produce full-time at Eagle Valley Foods in Sicamous for the summer. That experience led to a part-time job pumping gas and changing tires and oil at the Gulf Gas Station once I was back at school. By age 16, I was fighting fires over the summer and by 17, I was working at a shake and shingle mill — a pretty big responsibility for a teenager, but one that I was ready for.

These jobs helped me buy the ‘extras’ like a new bike and Walkman and later, my first street bike and car, as well as pay my college tuition. Employment also helped me develop life skills outside of a classroom. I gained maturity and confidence, learned how to effectively interact with the public, and better understood the values of responsibility, work ethic and teamwork.

Unfortunately, John Horgan and the NDP have recently introduced legislation that will restrict these opportunities for young people. If passed, the new rules would raise the age a child may work from 12 to 16. Exemptions could be provided, allowing 14- to 15-year-olds to perform light work. But what does ‘light work’ mean to the NDP? Just babysitting, paper routes and stocking shelves? Would lawn mowing be acceptable, or will a moving blade be deemed ‘too dangerous?’

While everyone shares in the concern for the safety of young workers, there’s much worry that the legislation goes too far in restricting the ability of young workers to take a job that will help build character, learn new skills and for some, help support their families or save for post-secondary education.

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The legislation would also restrict the type of hazardous work that 16- to 18-year-olds can perform. Again, definitions are important here. Would flipping burgers be okay, but running the tractor on their parents’ farm be considered too ‘hazardous?’ This is a huge concern for the agriculture industry, because many farm families rely on their children and teens to pitch in. Unfortunately, they were not consulted about these proposed changes, which seems typical of the way John Horgan and the NDP operate nowadays.

Parents know their children well, and use their discretion to determine whether or not they are capable of certain responsibilities. Why should a government dictate when a young person is ready by virtue of their age — not their maturity or mental acuity? This is a “government knows best” philosophy, dictating to parents when and under what circumstances their children can expand their learning and take a job.

These are the types of concerns BC Liberals will be raising in the Legislature as debate on this bill unfolds.