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Employment rates and thresholds: Canada

The Canada numbers an employer needs in one place: pay floors, contributions, leave and termination minimums. Each row carries its source.

What are the key Canada employment rates for 2026?

Ontario's general minimum wage is C$17.60 an hour, rising to C$17.95 on 1 October 2026; the federal rate is C$18.15. Employer CPP and CPP2 top out at C$4,646.45 and EI at C$1,572.30 for 2026.

The Canada numbers, each with its source

Pay floors

Item2026 figureSource
Ontario general minimum wageC$17.60/hour; C$17.95 from 1 Oct 2026Ontario ESA guide
Federal minimum wageC$18.15/hour from 1 Apr 2026 (federally regulated employers)ESDC

Employer contributions

Item2026 figureSource
CPP (employer)5.95% of C$3,500-C$74,600; maximum C$4,230.45Canada Revenue Agency
CPP2 (employer)4% of C$74,600-C$85,000; maximum C$416 (total CPP cost C$4,646.45)Canada Revenue Agency
EI (employer)1.4 x the 1.63% employee rate to C$68,900; maximum C$1,572.30Canada Revenue Agency
Ontario Employer Health TaxUp to 1.95%; C$1M exemption for eligible employersOntario
WSIB premiumsIndustry-rated; 2026 average C$1.23 per C$100WSIB
Quebec differencesQPP 6.30% (max C$4,479.30) + QPIP 0.602% (max C$620.06) + Health Services Fund; reduced EIRevenu Quebec

Leave and holidays

Item2026 figureSource
Vacation (Ontario)2 weeks / 4% vacation pay; 3 weeks / 6% from 5 yearsOntario ESA guide
Sick leave (Ontario)3 job-protected days a year, unpaidOntario ESA guide
Public holidaysOntario 9; federally regulated 10Ontario ESA guide

Termination

Item2026 figureSource
Notice (Ontario)1-8 weeks by tenure after 3 monthsOntario ESA guide
Severance pay (Ontario)1 week per year, cap 26 weeks; needs 5+ years AND C$2.5M+ global payrollOntario ESA guide

Cross-market context for every one of these figures: employer costs, notice periods, redundancy pay, sick pay and annual leave, all six markets side by side.

Where Compono fits

Rates and thresholds are the part of employment you can look up. Whether the people those rates buy will perform is the part you cannot, and it is where most hiring cost actually hides. Compono gives you the people data to make hires you can defend in any market.

See how it works

Common questions

Where do these Canada figures come from?

Every row links its government source: your provincial employment standards office. We checked each figure against that source in July 2026 and note the effective date where a rate changed recently.

How often do these rates change?

Most reset annually. We review the full table each year and after major legislative changes, and the last-reviewed date in the footer tells you exactly where you stand.

How current are these figures?

Every figure on this page was checked against the named government source in July 2026. We review the whole set annually and after major legislative changes, and the sources section lists the exact page we verified each market against.

This page is general information, not legal advice. We check figures annually and update them on a best-efforts basis, but employment rules change and we cannot promise everything here is current or complete. Before you act on it, confirm the detail with your provincial employment standards office or your own adviser. Last reviewed July 2026.