Update
This week, the Liberals launched NDPMinimumWage.ca. At first glance, the site looks like an NDP one: There's an orange banner at the top with the words "Mulcair" and "NDP." The site asks, "Do you qualify for the $15 minimum wage increase?"
Then, a video appears in which people on the street say they believe the plan would apply to everyone making minimum wage. A screen appears saying the increase would only apply to "federally regulated industries such as banking, transportation, and telecommunications." The people on the street say the NDP plan is "misleading."
If you watch until the end, you'll see that the video was done by Huffington Post Canada — not the Liberals.
The Liberal Party of Canada registered two new domain names that could be used to step up attacks on the NDP over its national minimum wage proposal. The as-of-yet-unlaunched website names are:
One sign that the Liberals are working on launching a site is that NDPMinimumWage.ca and the .com version both give a password prompt to visitors. Unused domains typically show an automatically-generated page, or do not load anything.
The parties are already sparring over the minimum wage issue. This image was recently shared on several NDP Facebook pages.
It echoes the response that Thomas Mulcair gave when Justin Trudeau attacked the wage plan during the Maclean's election debate.
During the debate, Trudeau accused Mulcair of "misleading Canadians" due to the fact that the Federal government can only impose a minimum wage on a small number of employers. It's mainly up to the provinces to set the minimum wage.
Trudeau said:
Now Mr. Mulcair is good in his criticisms and his questions, but is not necessarily good at answering the own questions to him because what we've seen is that he's put forward plans for a $15.00 minimum wage. He's talking about it across the country and what is actually the case is he's misleading Canadians. He's given Canadians who work in big box stores and behind checkout counters and in shops and coffee shops false hope because his minimum wage plan actually will only help less than one percent of every Canadian who earns minimum wage. And that kind of false advertising is simply irresponsible.
Mulcair responded with the same line used in the Facebook message:
Under our plan to introduce a $15.00 an hour federal minimum wage, over 100,000 Canadians will get a raise. Under Mr. Trudeau's plan, not a single Canadian will get a raise.
The Liberals recently stepped up attacks on this issue. They included a reference to the minimum wage in a news release sent the day after they registered the last of the two domains.
Top Liberal strategist Gerald Butts also went on a Twitter tear about the NDP proposal.
Mulcair's minimum wage promise doesn't cover 99% of people earning minimum wage. Not what they're saying at doors. https://t.co/fyfW4ZRCuo
NDP supported eliminating federal minimum wage then, folks. Try another talking point. http://t.co/BU1ZfYCT7H https://t.co/Yva9jaIwkT
Mulcair says his minimum wage promise "isn't misleading." People (including NDP supporters) disagree. #elxn42 http://t.co/hJUGVI6Ndu
Back in January of 2014 — before the NDP announced their proposal — Butts was more positive about the idea of raising the minimum wage.
What say you Canadian #econos? @ezraklein: Economists agree: Raising the minimum wage reduces poverty http://t.co/WhBd1RobMf #cdnpoli