In three months minimum wage in Quebec is going to rise 20 cents.
Labour Minister Agnes Maltais made the surprise announcement on Wednesday, saying the wage hike would come into effect on May 1, 2014.
That will make minimum wage in Quebec $10.35/hour, while employees who earn tips will see their pay rise from $8.75 to $8.90 an hour.
Quebec's minimum wage was last increased on May 1, 2013.
About 350,000 workers in Quebec earn the legal minimum.
Quebec Solidaire criticized the pay hike, saying it should have increased by not just 20 cents, but $1.22 in order for people to earn a living wage.
The 1.9% pay hike is more than double the rate of inflation, which Statistics Canada says was 0.9% in Montreal and 0.8% in the province as a whole.
Minimum wage hikes are normally announced in December, but Maltais said she was too busy at the end of the year to meet with the committee that studies minimum wage.
With a file from The Canadian Press
