Canada federal minimum wage increase confirmed with new $18.15 rate starting April 1

Canada’s federal minimum wage is set to rise as part of a nationwide federal minimum wage increase, with workers seeing higher pay from April.

Employment and Social Development Canada said in a press release Tuesday that the minimum wage will increase from $17.75 to $18.15 an hour starting April 1.

The change applies to employees in federally regulated private sectors, including air transportation, banking, federal Crown corporations, ports and telecommunications.

The government said the new rate represents a 21 per cent increase compared to 2021 levels.

“An employee should be paid at least the federal minimum wage. If the minimum wage of the province or territory where the employee usually works is higher than the federal minimum wage, the employer is to pay the higher minimum wage,” Employment and Social Development Canada said on its website.

Employers in affected sectors will be required to update their payroll systems to reflect the new wage from April.

Despite the increase, some regions will still have higher minimum wages. Yukon and Nunavut are expected to remain above the federal rate, while British Columbia’s minimum wage is set to rise to $18.25 in June.