Minimum wage in Canada

Under the Constitution of Canada, the responsibility for enacting and enforcing labour laws, including the minimum wage, rests primarily with the ten provinces. The three territories have a similar power, delegated to them by federal legislation. Some provinces allow lower wages to be paid to liquor servers and other gratuity earners or to inexperienced employees.

The federal government has the constitutional authority to set minimum wages only for employees within federal jurisdiction, such as federal public servants and workers in industries which are under federal regulatory jurisdiction, such as banks, airlines and interprovincial railways. In past years the federal government set its own minimum wage rates for workers under its jurisdiction. In 1996, however, the federal minimum wage was re-defined to be the general adult minimum wage rate of the province or territory where the work is performed.[1] This means, for example, that a railway company could not legally pay a worker in British Columbia less than C$15.20 per hour regardless of the worker's experience.

Demographics

In 2013, 50% of minimum wage workers were between the ages of 15 and 19; in 1997, it was 36%. 50.2% of workers in this age group were paid minimum wage in 2013, an increase from 31.5% in 1997. Statistics Canada notes that "youth, women and persons with a low level of education were the groups most likely to be paid at minimum wage."[2]

Minimum wage levels by jurisdiction

Assuming a 40-hour workweek and 52 paid weeks per year, the annual gross employment income of an individual earning the minimum wage in Canada is between C$24,440 (in New Brunswick) and C$33,280 (in Nunavut).[1]

The following table lists the hourly minimum wages for adult workers in each province and territory of Canada. The provinces which have their minimum wages in bold allow for lower wages under circumstances which are described under the "Comments" heading.

Note: The following table can be sorted by Jurisdiction, Wage, or Effective date using the icon.

Jurisdiction Wage (C$/h) Effective date Comments Indexation Formula

("CPI" refers to Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index — All-items)

Alberta[1][3]15.00 October 1, 2018
  • Students under age 18 (working during a school break, summer holidays, or 28 hours or less per week while school is in session): $13.00
British Columbia[1] 15.20 June 1, 2021
Manitoba[1][4]11.95 October 1, 2021
  • Security guards: $12.50
  • Workers in the construction industry (industrial, commercial, institutional, or heavy construction sectors): rates based on occupational classification
 Each October 1, based on Manitoba CPI for the previous calendar year, unless the government decrees a freeze due to economic conditions.[5]
New Brunswick[1]11.75 April 1, 2021 Each April 1, based on New Brunswick CPI for the previous calendar year.[6]
Newfoundland and Labrador[7]12.75 October 1, 2021 Each April 1, based on Canada CPI for the previous calendar year.[8] There were additional increases of $0.50 on October 1, 2020, $0.25 on April 1, 2021, and $0.25 on October 1, 2021.[9]
Northwest Territories[1]15.20 September 1, 2021
Nova Scotia[1]12.95 April 1, 2021 Each April 1, based on Canada CPI for January through November of the previous calendar year. In 2019 and 2021, an extra $0.30 was added before applying indexation. In 2020, the minimum wage was increased by $1.00 in lieu of indexation.[10]
Nunavut[1]16.00 April 1, 2020
Ontario[1][11]14.35 October 1, 2021
  • Students under age 18 (working during a school break, summer holidays, or 28 hours or less per week while school is in session): $13.50
  • Liquor servers: $12.55
  • Homeworkers (includes students and supersedes the student wage): $15.80

To be increased on January 1, 2022 to $15.00 ($14.10 for students, $15.00 for liquor servers, $16.50 for homeworkers)[12]

 Each October 1 (resumed in 2020), based on Ontario CPI for the previous calendar year.[13]
Prince Edward Island[1]13.00 April 1, 2021 To be increased on April 1, 2022 to $13.70[14]
Québec[1][15]13.50 May 1, 2021
Saskatchewan[1]11.81 October 1, 2021 Each October 1, based on the average of the changes in the Saskatchewan CPI and in the average hourly wage in Saskatchewan as measured by Statistics Canada for the previous year, subject to Cabinet approval.[16]
Yukon[17]15.20 August 1, 2021 Each April 1, based on Whitehorse CPI for the previous calendar year.[18] In 2019, an extra $0.90 was added before applying indexation. In 2020, an extra $0.75 was added after applying indexation. In 2021, an extra $1.35 was added on August 1.

See also

References
  1. "Current And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Experienced Adult Workers in Canada". services.gc.ca.
  2. Galarneau, Diane; Fecteau, Eric (June 5, 2014). "The ups and downs of minimum wage". Statistics Canada. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  3. "Minimum wage". alberta.ca. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  4. "Employment Standards - Employment Standards". gov.mb.ca.
  5. Justice, Manitoba. "Manitoba Laws". web2.gov.mb.ca.
  6. "Minimum Wage Employment Standards Act". gnb.ca.
  7. "Public Advisory: Employers Reminded of Minimum Wage Increase, October 1". gov.nl.ca. September 16, 2021.
  8. "CNLR 781/96 - Labour Standards Regulations under the Labour Standards Act". www.assembly.nl.ca.
  9. "Provincial Government Announces Increases to Minimum Wage". www.gov.nl.ca. February 21, 2020.
  10. "Minimum Wage Order (General) - Labour Standards Code (Nova Scotia)". novascotia.ca.
  11. http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/minwage.php
  12. "Ontario to Raise Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour". ontario.ca. November 2, 2021.
  13. "Employment Standards Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 41". ontario.ca. January 1, 2019.
  14. "Minimum wage to increase". princeedwardisland.ca. November 3, 2021.
  15. "Wages - Employees receiving tips - CNESST". www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca.
  16. http://www.publications.gov.sk.ca/freelaw/documents/English/Regulations/Regulations/S15-1R3.pdf
  17. "Find minimum wage in Yukon". yukon.ca. July 29, 2021.
  18. "Order-in-Council 2021/103, Employment Standards Act" (PDF). laws.yukon.ca. July 28, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.

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