Beginning on April 1st, 2012 Thailand's government honoured one of the promises it made during elections and raised minimum wages across the country. This is only the beginning for new politics sweeping countries across Asia and it is a mirror of the same direction being taken in Latin America.

The Malaysian government, for example, will soon institute the first ever minimum wage in the history of the country and this is the direction that countries across Asia are heading in. Asian countries have decided that the way to combat a widening global inequity gap is by strengthening domestic social security nets -- the most basic of which is the minimum wage.

The Canadian Federation of Students, and most of the people we have spoken to, is at a loss over how the government thinks it can increase student and youth employment without direct state intervention into the economy via wage subsidies and/or direct student employment programs.

According to the OECD, if just left to the market, any increases in the minimum wage will result in an increase in the unemployment of youth and students. They suggest that without government support for youth/student/apprenticeship programs, youth unemployment will remain high and lead to a large range of long-term social ills.

An article in the current edition of NOW Magazine looks at social assistance in Ontario. The article is aptly entitled "Poverty pariah," in light of how apparently unpopular Ontario's welfare system has become over the past 20 years.

As can be seen at the National Council of Welfare's Interactive Welfare Incomes Map, a single adult on welfare in Ontario receives $7,501 per year. In real terms, this benefit level is roughly 35% lower now than it was in the mid-1990s.

Some stories are just too complicated for ordinary bloggers to explain. That's when we turn to the expert knowledge offered by Perfesser Dave, the Answer Guy. Perfesser Dave knows practically everything there is to know about politics, economics and labour relations in Canada. In fact, if he were any smarter, he'd have to be hired by the Calgary School! So if you have questions, don't ask me! Ask Perfesser Dave!

Patti Encinas has a dream that one day she'll finally land a full time job. She dreams of being able to afford a proper pair of prescription eyeglasses or going to the dentist on a regular basis. A few years ago, she "splurged" and went to see a dentist for a routine examination. But she hasn't been back since.

For almost 11 years, Encinas has worked part time in a hospital with no benefits. She loves her job, the people she works with and takes pride in the work she does.

I saw quite a lot of media coverage of a BMO report that Canadian retail prices are 20% higher than in the U.S. despite exchange rate parity. There were allegations of price gouging and references to the allegedly much more intensely competitive U.S. retail environment.

I hesitate somewhat to say so in case the argument is misused, but there are good and defensible reasons why the retail cost structure is higher in Canada.