Gazette: Rates, Rules, Regs
What does the latest Canada Gazette reveal about 2026 EI rates, new chemical regulations, and who governs our national payment systems?
The government has quietly set the price for Employment Insurance for 2026, a detail that will affect nearly every paycheque in the country. This edition of the Canada Gazette also outlines strict new rules for a specific chemical substance and proposes changes to who can lead the organization managing Canada’s financial transactions.
This briefing will take you approximately 4 minutes to read.
ECONOMY
Your 2026 EI Premiums Are Set
Driving the news: The Canada Employment Insurance Commission has announced the Employment Insurance (EI) premium rate for 2026 will be $1.63 for every $100 of insurable earnings.
Catch-up: The EI program provides temporary income support to unemployed workers. Rates are set annually to cover the costs of the program. Residents of Quebec receive a reduced rate because the province runs its own parental insurance plan.
Why it matters: This rate directly impacts the take-home pay of employees and the payroll costs for employers across Canada. For residents of Quebec, the premium reduction for 2026 is $0.33, making their final rate $1.30 per $100 of insurable earnings. These figures are crucial for personal budgeting and business financial planning for the upcoming year.
ENVIRONMENT
New Substance Faces Strict Federal Conditions
Driving the news: The Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have permitted the manufacture or import of a specific chemical substance, but with significant restrictions, after suspecting it could be toxic.
Catch-up: The substance is identified by the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 1374248-81-3. The action is taken under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, which allows ministers to impose conditions on substances they suspect are “toxic or capable of becoming toxic”. The person or company that notified the government about the substance on September 23, 2025, is referred to as the “notifier”.
Why it matters: This demonstrates the federal government’s gatekeeper role in regulating new chemicals entering the Canadian market. The notifier must provide detailed information at least 120 days before beginning manufacturing in Canada, including the planned annual quantity, manufacturing facility address, and descriptions of transportation, storage, and disposal methods. This regulatory oversight aims to prevent environmental and human health hazards before they occur.
What’s next: The notifier must also maintain records for at least five years and inform anyone they transfer the substance to about these ministerial conditions.
FINANCE
Proposed Changes to Widen Payments Canada Board Recruitment
Driving the news: The Department of Finance is proposing amendments to the regulations governing the election of directors for Payments Canada’s Board.
Catch-up: Payments Canada is a statutory corporation that operates the national systems for clearing and settling payments between its members. Recent changes to the Canadian Payments Act expanded eligibility for membership to new entities like payment service providers. The current rules prohibit directors, officers, and employees of any eligible entity from serving as independent directors, even if their company is not a member.
Why it matters: The proposed changes aim to fix a recruitment problem. The current rules are seen as too restrictive, especially with the large number of new entities now eligible for membership. The amendments would allow individuals from eligible non-member organizations to serve as independent directors and would reduce the “cooling-off” period for former employees or consultants of member organizations from three years to one year. Here’s the detail I find most revealing: the goal is to provide Payments Canada with greater flexibility to recruit directors with recent and relevant experience while maintaining robust independence criteria.
On The Docket
Intact Insurance Company and Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada are set to amalgamate into a single company, effective January 1, 2026.
The Governor in Council has received a petition concerning a CRTC decision involving Iristel Inc., Bell Canada, and Northwestel Inc. regarding notices of disconnection. Submissions on the petition are due by November 12, 2025.
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has continued its order concerning the dumping and subsidizing of aluminum extrusions from the People’s Republic of China.
The designations of four individuals from the Lethbridge and Vancouver police services as fingerprint examiners under the Criminal Code have been revoked.
Also Noteworthy
Ana Bailão has been appointed CEO of Build Canada Homes.
Martin Glynn is the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Mario Baril has been appointed Ombudsperson for National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Hon. Dominic LeBlanc’s title has been restyled to President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy.
Several public servants have been granted permission to run in upcoming municipal elections in Quebec, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOCAN Tariff 3.C sets a royalty of 6.71¢ per day, multiplied by capacity, for adult entertainment clubs using recorded music for the years 2026-2028.
SOCAN Tariff 10.B sets a royalty of $12.23 for each marching band or float with music in a parade.
The Data Brief
$1.63: The Employment Insurance premium rate for 2026 per $100 of insurable earnings.
$0.33: The premium reduction for Quebec residents under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan for 2026.
$1,000,000: The proposed new maximum penalty for a single contravention under the Canadian Payments Association By-law No. 6.
1 year: The proposed new “cooling-off” period for a former member associate to become an independent director on the Payments Canada board, down from three years.
5 years: The minimum period a notifier must maintain records regarding the federally regulated chemical substance spiro[6H-cyclopenta[b]pyridine...].
Sources:
Government of Canada. (2025, October 11). Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 159, Number 41. King’s Printer for Canada.