Quebec's minimum wage increase went into effect Saturday, marking the third consecutive year payroll workers earning the least amount of money have been given a raise.

The hourly rate has increased from $9 to $9.50 an hour, and from $8 to $8.25 an hour for workers earning tips.

Ontario has the highest minimum wage in the country, at $10.25 an hour, followed by Nunavut at $10. In third place are Newfoundland and Labrador, along with Quebec, which now have the same hourly rate.

Mélanie Gauvin, who advocates for the rights of non-unionized workers in Quebec, said an even higher minimum wage would have been appropriate.

"It depends on your family's situation, but we think that $10.69 would be a good amount, if we consider that people are not all working full time, 40 hours a week, so it's not a big demand," she said.

About 300,000 Quebecers work for minimum wage.