Minimum Wage in Canada: Current Rate by Province, Territory, and Federal Law

Canada has no single minimum wage: each of the ten provinces and three territories sets its own general rate under its own employment standards law, a separate federal rate applies only to employees of federally regulated employers, and five jurisdictions increased their rate on October 1, 2026, so the rate a worker is actually owed depends entirely on which of these fourteen regimes covers the job.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers the federal minimum wage under the Canada Labour Code and the current general minimum wage in each Canadian province and territory, as in force on October 1, 2026, after the increases that took effect that day. It focuses on the general hourly rate, how each jurisdiction adjusts it, and where an employee can complain if it was not paid. It does not cover student, liquor server, live-in, or other special rates for Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, or Quebec in detail; those four provinces are covered on their own pages, Minimum Wage in Ontario, Minimum Wage in British Columbia, Minimum Wage in Alberta, and Minimum Wage in Quebec, and this article treats them only through the national comparison table. For the separate question of who counts as federally regulated, see Federally Regulated Employees and the Canada Labour Code.

Why Canada Has No Single Minimum Wage

Employment law is constitutionally a provincial matter, so each province and territory has its own Employment or Labour Standards Act, and each sets its own minimum wage independently of the others. Parliament regulates only a specific, enumerated slice of the economy under the Canada Labour Code (CLC): banks; interprovincial and international air, rail, marine, and trucking transport; telecommunications and broadcasting; postal and courier services such as Canada Post; grain elevators and related grain handling; and federal Crown corporations. Roughly 90 percent or more of Canadian employees, a retail cashier, a restaurant server, a hospital worker, or a construction worker, fall under their province's or territory's own law rather than the federal Code.

Where an employee does work for a federally regulated employer, the CLC still requires the employer to pay whichever rate is higher, the federal rate or the applicable province's or territory's general rate:

"If the minimum hourly rate that is fixed... by or under an Act of the legislature of the province where the employee is usually employed and that is generally applicable regardless of occupation, status or work experience is higher than the minimum hourly rate fixed under subsection (1), an employer shall pay to each employee a wage at a rate that is... not less than that higher minimum hourly rate." (Canada Labour Code, RSC 1985, c L-2, s.178(2))

As of October 1, 2026, British Columbia, Yukon, and Nunavut are the only three jurisdictions whose general rate already exceeds the federal $18.15 rate, so a federally regulated employee in those three places is owed the higher provincial or territorial rate instead of the federal one. Everywhere else, including Ontario after its October 1, 2026 increase to $17.95, the federal rate remains the higher, and therefore controlling, figure for a federally regulated worker.

The Federal Minimum Wage

The federal minimum wage is $18.15 per hour, effective April 1, 2026, and it adjusts every April 1, never October 1:

"178.1 (1) ... the minimum hourly rate referred to in subsection 178(1) is $15. (2) On April 1 of each year after the year in which this section comes into force, the minimum hourly rate is to be adjusted to the rate, rounded up to the nearest $0.05, that is equal to the product of ... the rate that is determined in accordance with this section on April 1 of the preceding year, and ... the ratio that the Consumer Price Index for the preceding calendar year bears to the Consumer Price Index for the calendar year before that preceding calendar year." (Canada Labour Code, RSC 1985, c L-2, s.178.1)

Employment and Social Development Canada confirmed the increase applied because the Consumer Price Index rose 2.1 percent in 2025. There is no federal youth or student subminimum. Section 179 restricts which occupations a person under 18 may work in, not how much they are paid once employment is permitted:

"179 An employer may employ a person under the age of 18 years only (a) in an occupation specified by the regulations; and (b) subject to the conditions fixed by the regulations for employment in that occupation." (Canada Labour Code, RSC 1985, c L-2, s.179)

The next scheduled federal adjustment is April 1, 2027; no change occurred on October 1, 2026.

Complaints: the Labour Program at Employment and Social Development Canada handles federal wage complaints. The filing window is short:

"Monetary complaint: You must file your monetary complaint within 6 months from the last day your employer was required to pay you."

Minimum Wage by Province and Territory: Current Rate and Next Scheduled Change

Five jurisdictions increased their rate on October 1, 2026: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The remaining nine, including the federal government, had no October 1, 2026 change: eight adjust on a different date, April 1, May 1, June 1, or September 1 depending on the jurisdiction, and Alberta has no scheduled adjustment at all. Detailed rules for Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, including student, liquor server, and other special rates, are covered on their own pages linked in the table above; the other nine provinces and territories are covered in the sections below.

Readers who want to see what their own rate works out to for a week, a month or a year, including any special rate that applies to them, can enter their province, their hours and any special rate that applies into the Canada minimum wage calculator.

How Provinces and Territories Set and Adjust Their Minimum Wage

Not every jurisdiction uses the same formula, and treating "Canada indexes to CPI" as a universal rule is inaccurate for several jurisdictions:

• Pure Consumer Price Index (CPI): the federal government, Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, and Yukon adjust annually based on CPI change alone.
• CPI combined with average hourly wage growth: Saskatchewan's indexation formula gives equal weight to changes in the Consumer Price Index and the average hourly wage for Saskatchewan. The Northwest Territories adjusts using a formula based on the percentage change in Yellowknife's Consumer Price Index and the percentage change in the NWT average hourly wage, and Nunavut calculates its rate from changes in the Consumer Price Index for Iqaluit and Nunavut's average hourly wage. In the Northwest Territories, this formula is a one way ratchet: if the calculation would produce a decrease, the rate simply stays the same rather than falling.
• Set by government decision: Quebec sets its rate each year by government order rather than a fixed index formula. Announcing the May 1, 2026 increase, the Quebec government said it was aligned with the forecast growth of Quebec's average hourly wage, bringing the minimum wage to nearly 50% of the average hourly wage for 2026-2027.
• No indexing at all: Alberta's Employment Standards Regulation contains no annual adjustment formula, which is why its rate has not moved since October 1, 2018. This is a policy choice, not a gap in the law.
• Twice a year: Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are the only two jurisdictions in this article that adjust on both April 1 and October 1 rather than once a year, so describing either as simply an "October 1 jurisdiction" understates that they already had a separate increase earlier in the same calendar year.

Manitoba

Manitoba's general minimum wage is $16.40 per hour, effective October 1, 2026, a 40 cent increase reflecting Manitoba's 2025 inflation rate, rounded up to the nearest five cents, as announced by Manitoba Labour and Immigration in April 2026, set under The Employment Standards Code, CCSM c E110. It was $16.00 per hour from October 1, 2025 until September 30, 2026. Domestic workers who work less than 12 hours a week, workers in an approved provincial or federal training program, and certain election officials are exempt from the minimum wage.

Complaints: Employment Standards, Manitoba Labour and Immigration, requires a claim within 6 months of the last day of work or 6 months after the wages were due. Even a timely claim is capped at recovering 6 months of unpaid regular or overtime wages, though unpaid vacation pay and general holiday pay can be recovered back 22 months, a notably longer lookback for those two entitlements specifically.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan's general minimum wage is $15.70 per hour, effective October 1, 2026, up from $15.35 per hour, which applied from October 1, 2025 until September 30, 2026. Saskatchewan uses the equal-weight CPI and average hourly wage formula described above, with changes generally announced by June 30 and taking effect October 1 each year. An employee who physically reports for a scheduled shift must receive at least 3 hours of pay at their regular wage even if sent home early. A narrow list of workers, including farm and ranch labourers, some private home care providers, temporary babysitters, athletes while competing, non-profit volunteers, and certain disability program participants, are not entitled to minimum wage at all; Saskatchewan's own guidance describes this exemption list as very limited in application.

Complaints: an Employment Standards officer investigates and the Director can issue a wage assessment against the employer, appealable within 15 business days of service. A claim for unpaid wages must be made within 12 months following the last day that wages were payable, and recovery is limited to wages payable within either the 12 months before the claim is made or the 12 months after the end of employment, under section 2-89 of The Saskatchewan Employment Act.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick's general minimum wage is $15.90 per hour, effective April 1, 2026, a 25 cent increase from the prior $15.65 rate, indexed annually to New Brunswick's Consumer Price Index and adjusted every April 1, not October 1. There was no October 1, 2026 change; the next scheduled adjustment is April 1, 2027. The minimum overtime wage is $23.85 per hour, 1.5 times the general rate, for hours beyond 44 in a week, and banking of hours is not permitted. New Brunswick also names special minimum wage categories for certain government road, bridge, and building construction workers and for counsellors and program staff at residential summer camps, but this article does not state dollar figures for those categories because they were not located on the pages checked.

Complaints: handled by the Employment Standards Branch of New Brunswick Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. A complaint about a violation of Part III of the Employment Standards Act, the Part that contains the minimum wage, must be made within twelve months after the alleged violation (Employment Standards Act, SNB 1982, c E-7.2, s.61(1)), and an order can reach only violations occurring within the twelve months preceding the complaint (s.63(1)).

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador's general minimum wage is $16.35 per hour, effective April 1, 2026, a 35 cent increase confirmed by the province's Minister of Labour, with the minimum overtime wage rising to $24.53 per hour at the same time. The rate adjusts annually every April 1 based on the national Consumer Price Index; there is no October 1, 2026 change. Special or differential rates such as a student or live-in rate were not researched for this article and should not be assumed absent.

Complaints: the Labour Standards Division allows a complaint up to 2 years from the event giving rise to it, but only up to 6 months after termination if the complaint follows the end of employment, whichever applies:

"A complaint to the director may not be made after the expiry of 2 years from the happening of the event giving rise to the complaint but, where an employee's contract of service is terminated, the complaint shall be made not later than 6 months of the date the employee's contract is terminated." (Labour Standards Act, RSNL 1990, c L-2)

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's general minimum wage is $17.00 per hour, effective October 1, 2026, since Nova Scotia is one of only two jurisdictions in Canada that adjusts twice a year; the rate was $16.75 per hour from April 1, 2026 until September 30, 2026. An employee called in outside regular hours must be paid for at least 3 hours at minimum wage, and piecework pay cannot fall below what the employee would have earned at minimum wage for the hours worked, except for farm employees whose work is directly related to harvesting fruit, vegetables and tobacco, to whom that piecework rule does not apply. Nova Scotia carries the longest exemption list of any jurisdiction covered in this article, including certain farm employees, registered apprentices, non-profit summer camp employees, real estate and car salespeople, fishing boat employees, and certain domestic or personal care workers in a private home. Logging and forest operations, and construction and property maintenance, are covered by separate minimum wage orders outside the general rate.

Complaints: the Labour Standards Division requires a complaint within 6 months of the violation, which functions as a rolling 6 month recovery window measured back from the complaint date rather than a hard bar on complaining after continuing violations.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island's general minimum wage is $17.30 per hour, effective October 1, 2026, the second of two increases that year since Prince Edward Island, like Nova Scotia, adjusts twice a year; the rate was $17.00 per hour from April 1, 2026 until September 30, 2026. A further $17.60 per hour is already fixed for April 1, 2027 by the same Minimum Wage Order, the only jurisdiction in the table above with a confirmed rate that far in advance. Board and lodging deduction caps under the same Order are $61.60 per week for board and lodging combined, $49.50 per week for board only, $27.50 per week for lodging only, and $4.25 per meal, with no deduction permitted for a meal the employee did not receive.

Prince Edward Island's governing statute changed on June 30, 2026: the old Employment Standards Act, RSPEI 1988, c E-6.2, was repealed and replaced by a new Employment Standards Act, SPEI 2024, c 66, following a multi year review. The Minimum Wage Order setting the October 2026 and April 2027 rates was made in March 2026, before the repeal, so it still cites the old chapter number; that is a transition artifact in the Order itself, not an error, and a description of today's governing law should cite the new Act.

Complaints: handled by the PEI Employment Standards Branch. Under the new Act, a complaint must be delivered to the chief inspector within two years of the date of the alleged contravention (Employment Standards Act, SPEI 2024, c 66, s.64(2)).

Yukon

Yukon's general minimum wage is $18.51 per hour, effective April 1, 2026, a 3.2 percent increase from the prior $17.94 rate, adjusted annually every April 1 using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). There was no October 1, 2026 change. A separate "fair wage schedule" applies only to workers on Yukon government public works contracts and should not be confused with the general minimum wage.

Complaints: the Employment Standards Office requires a complaint within 6 months of the date the wages were due, and investigates the preceding 12 months of employment records when assessing what is owed.

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories' general minimum wage is $17.20 per hour, effective September 1, 2026, up from $16.95, set by a formula based on the percentage change in Yellowknife's Consumer Price Index and the percentage change in the NWT average hourly wage for the preceding calendar year. The formula is a one way ratchet: if it would produce a decrease, the rate stays the same instead. There was no October 1, 2026 change. The territorial government says it remains committed to the annual formula, but that further public engagement will help inform decisions about the minimum wage for 2027.

Complaints: handled by Employment Standards at NWT Education, Culture and Employment. A complaint may be made at any time within 12 months after the date on which the subject matter of the complaint occurred (Employment Standards Act, SNWT 2007, c 13, s.61(2)).

Nunavut

Nunavut's general minimum wage is $20.17 per hour, effective September 1, 2026, the highest minimum wage of any jurisdiction in Canada and higher than the federal $18.15 rate. Nunavut calculates its rate based on changes to the Consumer Price Index for Iqaluit and Nunavut's average hourly wage from the previous year. There was no October 1, 2026 change; the next adjustment is September 1, 2027.

Complaints: handled by the Nunavut Labour Standards Compliance Office. A specific filing deadline was not confirmed against a primary source this article relied on and is not stated here; contact the office directly for the applicable window.

Where to File a Minimum Wage Complaint

Nunavut's complaint deadline was not confirmed against a primary source and is not stated here; contact the Labour Standards Compliance Office directly. Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec each have their own complaint process covered on their own pages, linked below.

Minimum Wage Guides by Province

For the full rules in the four largest provinces, including student, liquor server, gig worker, and other special rates, see:

• Minimum Wage in Ontario
• Minimum Wage in British Columbia
• Minimum Wage in Alberta
• Minimum Wage in Quebec

For related entitlements, see Statutory Holidays in Canada and the Canada Employment Law section.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about the federal minimum wage under the Canada Labour Code and the current general minimum wage in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, current as of October 1, 2026. Rates for Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec shown in the comparison table are covered in full on their own linked pages. It is not legal advice and does not cover special or reduced minimum wage rates in every jurisdiction. Consult the applicable employment standards agency or a lawyer licensed in your province or territory for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum wage in Canada?

There is no single national figure. As of October 1, 2026, the federal minimum wage for federally regulated employers is $18.15 per hour. Each province and territory sets its own separate general rate, ranging from $15.00 per hour in Alberta to $20.17 per hour in Nunavut. See the comparison table above for the current rate and next scheduled change in every jurisdiction.

Did Canada's minimum wage go up on October 1, 2026?

In five jurisdictions, yes: Ontario rose to $17.95, Manitoba to $16.40, Saskatchewan to $15.70, Nova Scotia to $17.00, and Prince Edward Island to $17.30. The federal rate and the remaining provinces and territories had no October 1, 2026 change: they adjust on a different date, April 1, May 1, June 1, or September 1 depending on the jurisdiction, except Alberta, which has no scheduled adjustment.

What is the federal minimum wage and who does it cover?

The federal minimum wage is $18.15 per hour, effective April 1, 2026, under Canada Labour Code s.178.1. It applies only to employees of federally regulated employers, meaning banks, interprovincial and international air, rail, marine, and trucking transport, telecommunications and broadcasting, postal and courier services such as Canada Post, grain elevators, and federal Crown corporations. Most Canadian employees work in provincially or territorially regulated jobs and are covered by their province's or territory's own rate instead.

Which province or territory has the highest minimum wage in Canada?

Nunavut, at $20.17 per hour effective September 1, 2026, the highest of any Canadian jurisdiction and higher than the federal rate.

Why has Alberta's minimum wage not increased since 2018?

Alberta's minimum wage has been $15.00 per hour since October 1, 2018 because its Employment Standards Regulation, unlike most other jurisdictions, contains no annual indexing formula at all. Any future increase requires a deliberate regulatory change rather than an automatic annual adjustment, and none had been announced as of October 1, 2026.

How does minimum wage indexing work across Canada?

Most jurisdictions, including the federal government, Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, and Yukon, adjust annually using the Consumer Price Index alone. Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut instead use formulas that combine Consumer Price Index change with average hourly wage growth, with Saskatchewan giving the two equal weight. Quebec sets its rate each year by government decision; its 2026 increase was aligned with forecast growth in the average hourly wage. Alberta has no indexing formula. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are the only two jurisdictions that adjust twice a year, on April 1 and October 1.

Where do I file a complaint if I was not paid minimum wage in Canada?

File with the employment standards agency for the province or territory where the work was performed, or with the federal Labour Program if the employer is federally regulated. Time limits are short, as little as 6 months in several jurisdictions, so contact the agency for the applicable deadline as soon as a shortfall is identified rather than waiting.

Do liquor servers get paid a lower minimum wage in Canada?

Not in Ontario or British Columbia, which eliminated their server subminimum wage in 2022 and 2021. Quebec is the exception among the four largest provinces and continues to set a genuinely lower tipped worker rate, $13.30 per hour against a $16.60 general rate effective May 1, 2026. Alberta eliminated its separate liquor server wage in steps on October 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016, and now pays servers the general rate.