Federal minimum wages to go up to $18.15 on April 1

The Government of Canada will be raising the federal minimum wage to $18.15 starting April 1, a rise of $0.40 from last year’s rate.

Federal minimum wage usually affects federally regulated industries, like banking, telecommunication or interprovincial transportation.

Individual provinces have their own minimum wages, and a federal employee must be paid whichever is higher of the two.

Ottawa says the raise represents the cumulative increase of 21 per cent since its introduction in 2021.

The federal minimum wage is adjusted annually based on Canada’s annual average Consumer Price Index of the previous year, which in 2025 rose 2.1 per cent.

“Ensuring the federal minimum wage rises with inflation is a floor that protects workers, especially those in the lowest paid jobs in federally regulated sectors,”” said Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu in a statement. “Keeping the minimum wage up to date helps maintain a reliable baseline that strengthens earnings and keeps workplace standards strong for all workers.”

There are no details yet on Ontario’s next minimum wage increase, which was set to $17.60 last October and will go until Sept. 30 this year.

READ MORE: Minimum wage in Ontario to increase Oct. 1