Minimum wage is going up across Canada, here’s what it means for workers

The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 CAD per hour to $16.65. Employers of federally regulated private sector employees and interns must adjust their payroll on April 1, 2023.

The increase will affect about 26,000 workers across the country working in places like banks, post offices, and interprovincial transportation, among others. In provinces where the minimum wage is greater than the federal minimum wage, employers must provide workers the higher of the two.

Canada has increases the federal minimum wage annually on April 1, based on the Consumer Price Index of the previous year.

Which jobs are federally regulated in Canada?

Federally regulated private sectors include:

• air transportation, including airlines, airports, aerodromes and aircraft operations
• banks, including authorized foreign banks
• grain elevators, feed and seed mills, feed warehouses and grain-seed cleaning plants
• First Nations band councils and Indigenous self-governments (certain activities)
• most federal Crown corporations, for example, Canada Post Corporation
• port services, marine shipping, ferries, tunnels, canals, bridges and pipelines (oil and gas) that cross international or provincial borders
• postal and courier services
• radio and television broadcasting
• railways that cross provincial or international borders and some short-line railways
• road transportation services, including trucks and buses, that cross provincial or international borders
• telecommunications, such as, telephone, Internet, telegraph and cable systems
• uranium mining and processing and atomic energy
• any business that is vital, essential or integral to the operation of one of the above activities

The federal government also regulates public service jobs such as Parliament, and private-sector firms and municipalities in the territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.

What is the minimum wage in Canada?

Minimum wage is typically set by the provincial and territorial governments, except when the occupation is regulated by the Government of Canada. What this means is that minimum wage will be different depending on where you live.

Here are the current minimum wages for all the provinces:

If the basis of your wage is not dependent on time, you must receive at least the equivalent of minimum wage.

Also, depending on the province and the nature of work, you may be entitled to overtime pay if you are asked to work more than 8 hours in a day or more than 40-48 hours per week. Overtime pay may be “time and a half” meaning your regular pay plus 50%, or double your wage, again, depending on the province and how many hours of overtime you’ve worked.

Labour rules in Canada apply to all workers in the country, including students and temporary residents.

When is minimum wage going up in Canada?

In Canada, minimum wage is determined by the provinces. The Retail Council of Canada keeps updates its page with news about minimum wage across Canada. If a province is going to increase minimum wage it generally does so in the spring and/or fall.

Find jobs in Canada

If you are looking for a job in Canada the first step is to make sure your resume stands out in the ways you want and not the ways you don’t want.

There is a particular style to Canadian resumes that’s different from what you might be used to. We go in-depth into how to Canadianize your resume on this page.

Then, once you’ve updated your resume, check the Moving2Canada Job Board for listings on job openings across Canada.

Also, if you sign up for a Moving2Canada account, you can get access to a number of resources to help you with your job search and more, including a checklist on all the things you need to prepare for your big move.