On both sides of the border the debate over the minimum wage has been reignited, sparking a lively debate. In the US, Mrs. du Toit rounds up some numbers and explains the futility of a minimum wage increase. In Canada, columnist Andrew Coyne explains some fundamental economic laws:

The point is not that those struggling to get by on very low wages should be left to their own devices. The point is that wages, properly considered, are neither the instrument nor the objective of a just society. When we say their wages are “too low,” we mean in terms of what society believes is decent. But that’s not what wages are for. The point of a wage, like any other price, is to ensure every seller finds a willing buyer and vice versa, without giving rise to shortages or surpluses -- not to attempt to reflect broader social notions of what is appropriate. That's especially true when employers can always sidestep any attempt to impose a “just” wage simply by hiring fewer workers.

Read both and ask whether the usual rebuke from the other side, "you're heartless", stands the test of logic.