Respiratory therapist salary in Quebec: the scale, the premiums, the annual salary
A respiratory therapist in the public network earns from $29.12 to $45.20 an hour since April 1, 2026. The scale, the annual salary, the premiums and related titles.
In the public network, the respiratory therapist salary ranges from $29.12 to $45.20 an hour since April 1, 2026. The scale has 12 steps.
Job title 2244
The job title nomenclature of the health and social services network, updated on September 15, 2026, classifies the respiratory therapist under number 2244, at ranking 18. The title requires a DEC (CEGEP diploma) in respiratory therapy technology and membership in the Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes du Québec (OPIQ), Quebec's order of respiratory therapists. The normal work week is 37.5 hours. Our article on the respiratory therapist job describes the role.
The current salary scale
| Step | April 1, 2026 | April 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29.12 | $30.14 |
| 2 | $30.39 | $31.45 |
| 3 | $31.74 | $32.85 |
| 4 | $33.16 | $34.32 |
| 5 | $34.61 | $35.82 |
| 6 | $36.12 | $37.38 |
| 7 | $37.73 | $39.05 |
| 8 | $39.37 | $40.75 |
| 9 | $40.86 | $42.29 |
| 10 | $41.99 | $43.46 |
| 11 | $43.56 | $45.08 |
| 12 | $45.20 | $46.78 |
Source: job title nomenclature, part III, page III.86, title 2244, version of September 15, 2026. Hourly rates.
The annual salary
The FIQ collective agreement, in paragraph 7.29, counts 52.18 weeks in a year.
| Step | Calculation | Annual salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29.12 × 37.5 × 52.18 | $56,981 |
| 12 | $45.20 × 37.5 × 52.18 | $88,445 |
Our own calculation, full time, without premiums or overtime.
Related titles
| Title | Number | First step | Last step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory therapy extern | 4002 | Single rate of $23.30 | |
| Technical coordinator (respiratory therapy) | 2246 | $29.61 | $47.48 |
| Clinical teaching officer (respiratory therapy) | 2247 | $29.61 | $47.48 |
| Assistant head respiratory therapist | 2248 | $30.07 | $49.89 |
Hourly rates as of April 1, 2026. Titles 2246 and 2247 are at ranking 19, title 2248 at ranking 20. Each has 18 steps.
Progression and experience
Paragraph 7.23 of the FIQ agreement moves the employee up one step each time she completes a year of experience. Advancement every six months in the first eight steps applies to titles at ranking 19 or higher. The respiratory therapist, at ranking 18, therefore moves up one step per year and reaches step 12 after eleven years.
At hiring, paragraph 8.01 counts one year of experience for each year of work in the profession. Someone who left more than five years ago is placed no higher than the second last step. Paragraph 8.02 requires the employer to ask for written proof of this experience.
Letter of agreement no. 15 pays a lump sum to the respiratory therapist whose rate is below the single rate of ranking 9. That rate is $29.40, the rate of the patient care attendant. The gap is $0.28 an hour at the first step, according to our own calculation.
Premiums
The following rates come from article 9 of the FIQ agreement and the premium table of the CPNSSS, for the period from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
| Premium | Base rate | Increased rate |
|---|---|---|
| Evening | 7% of the hourly wage, minimum $2.08 an hour | 10% |
| Night | 14% of the hourly wage, minimum $4.17 an hour | 18% |
| Weekend | 5% of the hourly wage, minimum $1.50 an hour | 9% |
| CHSLD, seniors' home, alternative home | $1.74 an hour | $2.33 an hour |
The increased evening, night and weekend premiums go to the employee who has 70 or more paid hours per 14 day pay period. The weekend premium also requires a service open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Paragraph 9.06 names the respiratory therapist among the titles that receive the CHSLD premium.
The critical care premium in paragraph 9.10 applies to the employee who works in the emergency room, intensive care, the neonatal unit, the coronary unit or the burn unit. It is 15% for 70 or more paid hours per 14 day period, 14% from 42 hours and 10% under 42 hours. In the operating room, recovery room included, the specific premium in paragraph 9.11 is 10%, 7% or 6% according to the same thresholds. Neither paragraph lists job titles.
One premium names title 2244. Paragraph 9.08 pays the respiratory therapist 5% of the hourly wage for each hour she handles the orientation and clinical training of employees and interns.
Overtime
Paragraph 19.03 of the FIQ agreement pays overtime at time and a half of the regular wage, which is $43.68 an hour at step 1 and $67.80 at step 12. Double time applies on a statutory holiday and, under the conditions of paragraph 19.04, to a full weekend shift in a service open 24 hours a day. See our article on mandatory overtime.
Respiratory therapist, nurse and licensed practical nurse
The same nomenclature pays the nurse, title 2471, from $29.61 to $47.48 an hour and the licensed practical nurse (nursing assistant in Quebec), title 3455, from $27.78 to $37.08. See the nurse salary, the licensed practical nurse salary and our guide to the FIQ collective agreement.
In the private sector, no public scale exists. The employer sets the salary.
This text summarizes the nomenclature and the collective agreement. It is neither legal advice nor union advice.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a respiratory therapist's salary?
Since April 1, 2026, the scale for title 2244 ranges from $29.12 to $45.20 an hour in the public network. Full time, that gives $56,981 a year at the first step and $88,445 at the twelfth. For Quebec as a whole, the Government of Canada Job Bank gives group 32103 a low wage of $30.00, a median wage of $39.40 and a high wage of $50.39 an hour, for the 2023-2024 reference period (updated November 19, 2025).
What is a perfusionist's salary in Quebec?
The clinical perfusionist has a separate job title, number 1116, at ranking 23. Since April 1, 2026, the scale ranges from $31.51 to $57.81 an hour over 18 steps, for a 37.5 hour week. The title requires a certificate or a graduate diploma (DESS) in extracorporeal perfusion.
What is the salary of a new respiratory therapist?
A respiratory therapist with no experience starts at the first step: $29.12 an hour, or $56,981 a year at 37.5 hours a week. The respiratory therapy extern, title 4002, receives a single rate of $23.30 an hour.
What raise is planned for respiratory therapists in 2027?
Paragraph 7.27 of the FIQ agreement raises each scale by 3.50% on April 1, 2027. In the nomenclature, the first step then goes from $29.12 to $30.14 and the twelfth from $45.20 to $46.78.
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Sources
- Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Nomenclature des titres d'emploi, des libellés, des taux et des échelles de salaire du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux, titles 2244, 2246, 2247, 2248, 4002 and 1116, pages II.51 to II.53, III.8 and III.86 to III.89, September 15, 2026
- CPNSSS, Primes des conventions collectives nationales 2024-2028, consulted on October 10, 2026
- CPNSSS and FIQ, Convention collective, version administrative, in force from December 15, 2024 to March 31, 2028, articles 7, 8, 9 and 19, letter of agreement no. 15
- Government of Canada, Job Bank, Salaires, inhalothérapeute au Québec (CNP 32103), updated November 19, 2025