Breaking the Salary Taboo: Should Quebec Follow Ontario and British Columbia’s Lead?

Pay transparency is becoming a hot topic across Canada.

And Quebec is still watching from the sidelines.

In Quebec, there are certain topics we don’t discuss around the dinner table: politics, religion, and salary.

That last unwritten rule has been part of North American culture for decades. And yet, in 2026, two Canadian provinces have decided to challenge it.

Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees have been required to include a salary range in all publicly advertised job postings. British Columbia paved the way back in November 2023. Quebec, meanwhile, has yet to introduce similar legislation.

Should we be concerned? Should we welcome the change?

As is often the case, the answer isn’t that simple.

A Deeply Rooted Taboo

Where does this discomfort around discussing salaries come from?

In North America, the tradition of keeping salaries confidential has long benefited… employers.

When employees don’t know what their colleagues earn, they’re in a weaker position to negotiate. Information asymmetry benefits whoever holds the information.

It’s not a conspiracy. It’s simply a market dynamic that has become institutionalized over time.

And it’s so deeply ingrained that even candidates hesitate to bring up compensation. How many people still feel uncomfortable asking about a position’s salary range for fear of appearing motivated solely by money?

It’s against this backdrop that Ontario and British Columbia decided to take action.

And their decisions deserve a closer look.

What Ontario and British Columbia Have Actually Done

British Columbia was the first Canadian province to introduce this type of legislation.

Since May 2023, employers have been prohibited from asking candidates about their salary history. Since November 2023, all employers in the province have been required to include salary information in public job postings, including positions advertised through third-party recruiters.

Ontario took a more gradual approach.

Legislative changes introduced through the Working for Workers Acts of 2024 and 2025 require employers with 25 or more employees to disclose salary ranges in all publicly advertised job postings as of January 1, 2026.

One interesting detail: for positions with annual compensation below $200,000, the difference between the minimum and maximum advertised salary cannot exceed $50,000.

In other words, you can’t advertise a salary range of “$50,000 to $200,000” and call that transparency.

And Quebec?

There’s currently no legal requirement to disclose salary ranges in job postings.

However, approximately 30.7% of non-unionized organizations had already adopted at least one voluntary pay transparency measure in 2025, without being legally required to do so.

The shift is happening, even without legislation.

What This Means for Recruitment

Let’s get practical.

One of the biggest frustrations in any talent acquisition process, for everyone involved, is discovering a salary mismatch too late.

A candidate makes it all the way to the final stages of a hiring process, only to discover that the organization’s budget is $20,000 below their expectations.

That’s wasted time for the candidate, the hiring manager, and the recruiter. And sometimes, it even results in the selected candidate accepting a position that doesn’t offer appropriate compensation.

Pay transparency acts as a natural filter from the very beginning.

Candidates can determine for themselves whether the compensation aligns with their expectations before applying.

The number of applications may decrease, but the alignment between candidates and opportunities improves.

For recruiters, that’s a clear gain in efficiency.

The Benefits: The Case for Pay Transparency

Publishing salary ranges makes initial conversations easier.

Instead of navigating uncertainty around compensation, we can focus more quickly on what truly sets a candidate apart: their skills, accomplishments, and motivation.

For candidates, access to salary information allows them to make informed decisions before investing time in a recruitment process.

It’s a basic sign of respect that directly influences the candidate experience and, by extension, the employer brand.

There’s also a compelling argument for pay equity, supported by research.

Historically, women and members of minority groups have tended to negotiate starting salaries less aggressively, often because they have less access to information about what others earn in comparable positions.

Pay transparency helps reduce this structural imbalance.

The Limitations: What We Shouldn’t Overlook

Pay transparency requires organizations to establish a clear compensation structure before they start recruiting.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s work that many organizations haven’t yet done.

Publishing salary ranges without a consistent compensation framework behind them can expose internal inconsistencies.

Existing employees start comparing salaries, and questions inevitably follow.

Competitive pressure is another very real concern.

When salary ranges are publicly available, competitors can review them and adjust their own offers accordingly.

Organizations that have invested in differentiated compensation strategies suddenly find their competitive advantage on public display.

For positions with variable compensation, such as commissions, bonuses, or profit-sharing arrangements, publishing a base salary range doesn’t always reflect the reality of total compensation.

The risk is attracting or discouraging candidates based on incomplete information.

The Real Question for Quebec

The question isn’t really whether Quebec should follow suit.

The trend is global, and there’s no turning back.

It will eventually reach Quebec, whether through legislation or market pressure.

Other Canadian provinces, American states, and European countries are already moving in this direction.

The real question is:

Are Quebec organizations ready?

Because pay transparency isn’t simply about complying with a job-posting requirement.

It’s a reality check.

It forces organizations to confront questions they’ve sometimes avoided for years.

Are we paying our employees fairly?

Do we have a consistent and defensible compensation structure?

Can we justify our salary ranges to our own teams?

Organizations with a solid compensation framework see this transition as an opportunity.

Those that have been improvising their compensation practices see it as a threat.

And the legislation isn’t the real problem.

It’s the work that should have been done long before the legislation came along.

Pay transparency won’t solve pay equity issues on its own.

It makes them visible. And that’s already a first step we shouldn’t be afraid to take.