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ARTICLE · 11 MARCH 2026

Canada Labour Code: New Equal Treatment Wage Obligations On The Horizon

McCarthy Tétrault
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The federal government is introducing a new equal wages framework under the Canada Labour Code (the "CLC") that will require federally regulated employers to pay comparable employees the same rate of wages...

CanadaEmployment and HR
McCarthy Tétrault Employer Advisor
McCarthy Tétrault Employer Advisor
Carolyn Denault
Carolyn Denault
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The federal government is introducing a new equal wages framework under the Canada Labour Code (the "CLC") that will require federally regulated employers to pay comparable employees the same rate of wages, regardless of employment status. The draft regulations are expected to come into force in the early months of 2026.

In this blog post, we highlight three key elements of the equal treatment framework that employers should begin preparing for now.

1. Equal Pay Across Employment Status

Federally regulated employers will be prohibited from paying an employee a lower rate of wages due to a difference in "employment status". The term "employment status" will be defined to include differences between full and part-time workers, as well as between temporary and permanent employees.

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