Minimum wage in Quebec and other Canadian provinces

How much is paid in Canadian provinces, and why it's not enough.

The new minimum wage in Quebec is now at CAD 15.25, a rise of CAD 1 from the previous minimum wage of CAD 14.25. The hike from the existing CAD 14.25 minimum wage is the province’s greatest percentage increase since 1995.

As for employees who receive tips, their wages will also increase from CAD 11.40 to CAD 12.20 per hour.

Quebec's new minimum wage will be lower than the federal minimum wage which is CAD 16.65.

Labour Minister Jean Boulet calls the Quebec wage increase "a historic increase that will help employees better meet their needs while respecting companies' ability to pay," and according to the Ministry of Labour, the increase will help about 300,000 people.

However, some anti-poverty organizations say that despite the rising cost of living, this increase in wages is still not enough to cover the costs of basic necessities such as housing and food.

According to Virginie Larivière from the Collective for a Poverty-Free Quebec, this increase is not enough, given the inflation. The social and labor organizations that launched the "Minimum 15" campaign are now advocating raising the minimum wage to CAD 18 per hour. "We’ve been asking for CAD 15 an hour since 2016, but CAD 15.25 in 2023 is definitely insufficient,” she added.

“That’s the minimum. It’s a demand we’ve been making for two years. Obviously, with the inflation of the last few years, we can assume that CAD 18 an hour is not enough to even think about being lifted out of poverty,” said Larivière.

Also, the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques (IRIS) in 2022 shows that one in five Quebecers falls below the income threshold required to meet their basic needs. According to the report, a living wage in the current economy is at least CAD 18 per hour, which is the minimum income needed for an individual to lead a dignified life and cover essential expenses.

By far the highest minimum wage is in the Yukon, where it is CAD 16.77 per hour, and then comes Nunavut, where the minimum wage is CAD 16 per hour.