Won't you feel sorry for poor Canadians?

On May 1, the minimum wage in Quebec rises by 50 cents to $11.25 an hour – still less than the minimum wage in Ontario and Alberta, but more than the wage in the Atlantic provinces and B.C.

Representing an extra $20 a week for full-time workers – or $1,040 per year – it might pay for a month's rent or a new fridge by Christmas.

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"Working full-time for minimum wage means ... being stuck in poverty and having to count on food banks to make ends meet," said Virginie Larivière, a spokesperson for the 5-10-15 campaign, which calls for workers to know their work schedule at least five days in advance, get 10 days paid leave for sickness or family responsibilities, and a $15 an hour minimum wage.

($11.25 per hour) x (40 hours per week) x (50 weeks) = $22,500 per year. That's right. Making almost $2,000 per month in Canada is called "stuck in poverty".

I've lived here for almost two decades. The average monthly spending for my necessities is approximately $1,000. If I was working full-time at a minimum wage job, then I could save about half my earnings and still be classified as poor by these clowns.

"Poverty" in such cases isn't a wage issue; it's a spending problem. If you must have the latest iPhone, the newest Kate Spade handbag, the best Canada Goose jacket or the flashiest 4K OLED OMG TV, then you're an idiot. If after buying all those mentioned products, you're getting your nutrition from a food bank, then you're a bigger idiot.

No longer is poverty the lack of necessities but the lack of a personal, near-luxury lifestyle.