Employment Standards Legislation in Canada

This documentation deals with private sector minimum employment standards in Canada. It sets out the federal, provincial and territorial legislative provisions dealing with the minimum age for employment, hours of work and overtime pay, minimum wages, equal pay, the weekly rest-day, general holidays with pay, annual vacations with pay, parental leave and individual and group terminations of employment. An analytical text provides readers with an overview of the topics. In most cases, tables accompany these texts and provide specific information concerning the provisions which exist in each Canadian jurisdiction.

This documentation is not intended to be a substitute for the relevant statutes themselves. Users are reminded that it is prepared for convenience only and that as such, it has no official sanction. Users are therefore advised to consult the texts of the statutes whose summary is available here.

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Recent and historic changes to employment standards legislation

Jurisdiction of the federal government and the provinces/territories

Minimum Age For Employment - Child Labour Legislation (last updated April 2004) (PDF Document, 80 kb)

Database on Minimum Wages (updated on an ongoing basis)

         Wage Deductions Permitted for Board and Lodging (last updated October 2002)

• Statutory Holidays: Synoptic Table (last updated November 2001)

• Minimum Requirements for Annual Vacations with Pay (last updated August 2002) (PDF Document, 32 kb)
  
• Earnings Included in the Calculation of Vacation Pay (last updated August 2002) (PDF Document, 12 kb)

• Length of Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave (last updated January 2006)

• Notice of Individual Termination of Employment (last updated March 2005)
  
• Notice of Group Termination of Employment (last updated November 2005)

Mandatory Retirement

Whistleblower Protection (PDF Document)