Federal Minimum Wage Increases on April 1
On April 1, 2023, the federal minimum wage will increase to $16.65 from $15.55 per hour in 2022, an increase of a $1.10 or 7.1%.[1]
The federal minimum wage, which came into force on December 29, 2021, is adjusted automatically on April 1 of every year, based on the average annual increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as reported by Statistics Canada. This is to ensure that the federal minimum wage keeps pace with inflation. This year’s rate increase reflects the 6.8% annual average rise of the CPI for Canada in the previous calendar year, rounded up to the nearest $0.05.[2]
This change applies to all federally related private industries, including the road transportation sectors. This does not apply to any provincially regulated employers in Alberta or any other province or territory.
This will have a negligible impact on our industry and membership as workers are generally highly skilled and command more than the minimum wage. However, the wage gap between minimum wage workers and those earning lower wages in yard or warehouse positions continues to narrow.
Our Services
AMTA can provide members with one-on-one guidance on the information provided in this article. If you have any questions, please contact AMTA and our experienced staff will be happy to help. For your WCB, Safety, Compliance or Human Resources questions, please email Member Services at memberservices@amta.ca or call 1-800-267-1003.
[1] Employment and Social Development Canada (March 21, 2023) https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2023/03/federal-minimum-wage-rising-to-1665-on-april-1.html
[2] Employment and Social Development Canada (March 14, 2022) https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/03/federal-minimum-wage-to-rise-to-1555-per-hour-on-april-1.html