Executive Assistant Salaries in Canada

Executive Assistants in Canada earn an average of around $66,000 a year in 2026, with the typical range running from $54,000 to $82,000 and top earners reporting above $100,000. Calgary and Toronto lead the major markets, and the gap between an average role and a senior one supporting a chief executive is now wider than the gap between any two Canadian cities.

This page sets out what Executive Assistants are paid across Canada, broken down by city, experience level and sector, along with the factors that move pay most in the Canadian market. All figures are in Canadian dollars.

The range between $58,831 and $88,010 is not a contradiction. Job board figures blend administrative and coordinator roles that loosely carry the Executive Assistant title, which pulls the average down. Employer survey data prices the full job description, including the seniority and discretion the role is meant to carry. The Job Bank range is the official government figure and is the most defensible reference point if you are negotiating with a public sector or unionised employer.

Nationally, the typical pay band runs from $54,197 at the lower quartile to $81,974 at the upper quartile, with top earners reporting $101,560.

Figures are drawn from reported salary data updated between February and July 2026. Montreal figures come from a separate source using a base salary methodology, so the range shown is the 10th to 90th percentile rather than the quartile range used for the other cities.

Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Quebec City, Saskatoon and Regina were not given separate benchmarks in this update because the reported samples were too small to publish a reliable average. Those markets generally track the national figure, except Ottawa, which is discussed below.

Calgary

Calgary has the highest average Executive Assistant salary of the major Canadian cities and the highest top end of any market in the country, with senior assistants reporting up to $110,418. Energy, engineering and the corporate head offices that sit alongside them continue to set the ceiling. The city also has a long-established pattern of paying executive support well, partly because the roles are often broader than their equivalents in central Canada.

Toronto

Toronto has by far the largest number of Executive Assistant roles in Canada and the deepest market for senior positions. Bay Street financial services, law firms, professional services and the head offices of most large Canadian corporations all compete for the same experienced candidates, and reported salaries for assistants with ten or more years of experience regularly reach the high $80,000s and above $100,000.

The Toronto average sits marginally below Calgary, but the volume of senior roles means the practical opportunity to reach a higher band is greater in Toronto than anywhere else in the country.

Vancouver

Vancouver averages $64,531 with a typical band of $53,095 to $79,369. Technology, real estate, resources and film and television support the upper part of that range. Vancouver carries the highest housing costs in Canada, which is worth weighing carefully against the headline figure, since the salary premium over the national average does not come close to matching the cost difference.

Montreal and Quebec

Montreal averages $62,497, with bonuses commonly adding between $1,000 and $8,000. Quebec salaries sit slightly below the Ontario and Alberta equivalents, though the gap has narrowed since the last edition of this survey.

Bilingualism is the defining feature of the Quebec market. Fluent French and English is a requirement rather than an advantage for most senior executive support roles in Montreal, and assistants who have it can move between the Quebec market and federal roles in Ottawa, which widens the options considerably.

Ottawa and the federal public service

Ottawa works differently from every other Canadian market. A large share of executive support roles sit within the federal public service, where pay follows published classification levels and collective agreements rather than market rates. That caps the top end relative to Toronto or Calgary, but it brings defined benefit pension entitlement, strong job security and predictable progression that the private sector rarely matches.

Bilingual requirements apply to many of these positions, and roles designated bilingual attract additional entitlement as well as a wider range of opportunity.

Bands reflect the national quartile distribution rather than a separate survey of years of service, because experience alone is a weaker predictor of pay than the seniority of the executive supported.

Reported salaries for assistants with ten or more years of experience in Toronto and Alberta range from $89,000 to $107,000, while assistants with one to three years of experience in the same cities often report $30,000s to $40,000s for part-time or junior administrative roles with the same title. The title tells you very little on its own.

Which sectors pay Executive Assistants the most in Canada

Energy, mining, financial services, law, technology, private equity and real estate development pay above the national benchmark. In Alberta, the energy sector sets the ceiling. In Ontario, Bay Street finance and the large law firms set the ceiling. In British Columbia it is technology and resources.

Not-for-profit organisations, education, healthcare administration and municipal government pay below the national average for comparable duties, frequently by $10,000 or more, and usually against published salary grids. Those roles compensate with pension provision, job security, and predictable hours, which many assistants weigh more heavily than base pay.

Bonuses and total compensation

Cash bonuses are common in the Canadian private sector and commonly add between $1,000 and $8,000 for Executive Assistants, with significantly more at senior level in financial services and energy. Reported total pay for senior assistants in Toronto includes cash components of $10,000 and above.

Beyond bonus, the elements worth pricing when comparing offers are employer contributions to a registered pension or group retirement plan, extended health and dental coverage, professional development budgets and parking or transit allowances. In the public sector, pension entitlement alone can be worth more than the salary difference compared with a private-sector role.

Hybrid and remote working

Hybrid working is now standard for Canadian Executive Assistant roles outside the most senior positions, typically two to three days in the office. Roles supporting a chief executive or a board more often require full office attendance and are priced accordingly.

Fully remote executive support roles exist but are less common than in the United States, and they tend to be advertised at lower rates because the pool of applicants is national rather than local.

Work life balance and the salary trade off

The highest paying Executive Assistant roles in Canada sit in the most demanding sectors. Supporting a partner at a law firm, an executive at a Bay Street institution or a chief executive in the energy sector means long hours, frequent contact outside working time and a diary that changes constantly.

Many assistants deliberately trade some earning potential for predictability, and that is a reasonable choice. What matters is making it knowingly, with the alternative figures in front of you.

How to increase your Executive Assistant salary in Canada

1. Move up the executive you support. Supporting a chief executive or a board is the clearest single-step way to increase pay in any Canadian market.
2. Move into a higher-paying sector. The same duties can pay $15,000 more in energy or financial services than in the not-for-profit sector.
3. Add French. Bilingual assistants can work across the Quebec, Ottawa and national head office markets, which widens opportunity and raises pay in a way few other skills do in Canada.
4. Take on scope beyond the calendar. Board papers, budget responsibility, project ownership and supervising other support staff all move a role into a higher band.
5. Build advanced Microsoft 365 and AI skills. Canadian employers increasingly price executive support on the time it saves the leadership team, and assistants who can use AI tools for research, drafting, reporting and workflow can evidence that directly at review time.

IEAA runs Executive Assistant training and qualifications for assistants in Canada, delivered through live virtual classroom and online study across North American time zones. See the full Executive Assistant Courses, the qualification structure, our Microsoft Office courses, and our virtual courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average Executive Assistant salary in Canada in 2026?

Around $66,000 a year, with a typical range of $54,197 to $81,974 and top earners above $101,560. The official Job Bank wage range is $25.85 to $49.00 per hour.

Which Canadian city pays Executive Assistants the most?

Calgary leads with an average of $69,691 and top earners reaching $110,418, followed closely by Toronto at $68,482. Toronto has far more senior roles available even though its average sits marginally lower.

How much does an Executive Assistant earn in Toronto?

The average is $68,482, with a typical range of $56,246 to $84,671 and top earners reported at $104,519.

Do Executive Assistants in Canada receive bonuses?

Commonly, yes. Bonuses typically add $1,000 to $8,000, with considerably more at senior level in financial services and energy.

Does being bilingual increase Executive Assistant pay in Canada?

It does, particularly in Quebec, Ottawa and national head office roles. Fluent French and English are a requirement for most senior executive support positions in Montreal and for many federal roles, and it opens markets that unilingual candidates cannot access.

What does an Executive Assistant earn in the federal public service?

Pay follows published classification levels and collective agreements rather than market rates, which limits the top end compared with Toronto or Calgary but provides defined-benefit pension entitlement and predictable progression.

Does a qualification increase Executive Assistant pay in Canada?

It is not an automatic uplift, but it strengthens the case at review and appears frequently as a preferred requirement on senior postings. It matters most when combined with a move into a more senior support role.

Method and sources

Figures on this page come from the Government of Canada Job Bank, Glassdoor, Indeed, PayScale, Talent.com, and SalaryExpert, using data published between February and August 2026. All figures are in Canadian dollars and refer to gross annual pay unless stated.

Where sources disagree, we show the spread and explain what each one measures rather than averaging them into a single number. For cities without a reliable current sample, we compare against the national figure rather than assign false precision.

Learn more about the role in our guide to what an Executive Assistant does, or compare with our US and UK Executive Assistant salary data.

Find out more about the wide range of Executive Assistants courses we offer

Find out more about our qualification structure and how to progress your career.