Retirees and other self-directed Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) investors are wondering which TSX dividend stocks are good to buy right now for a portfolio focused on generating reliable passive income.
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Fortis
Fortis (TSX: FTS) raised its dividend in each of the past 51 years. This is a big reason the share price has trended steadily higher for decades.
The company operates power generation facilities, natural gas distribution utilities, and electric transmission networks across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Fortis grows through a combination of strategic acquisitions and development projects. The current $26 billion capital program is expected to raise the rate base from $39 billion in 2024 to $53 billion in 2029. As the new assets go into service, the boost to cash flow should support planned annual dividend increases of 4% to 6%. At the time of writing, investors can get a 3.8% yield on the stock. This is lower than the dividend yield available from other companies, but the dividend growth quickly raises the return on the initial investment.
Canadian Natural Resources
Canadian Natural Resources (TSX: CNQ) raised its dividend in each of the past 25 years. It already hiked the payout once in 2025, following two increases in 2024. This is a great track record for a business that relies on oil and gas prices to determine its margins and profitability.
CNRL’s ability to increase the dividend through the volatile swings of the commodity markets is due to its strong balance sheet, efficient operations, and diversified asset base that includes natural gas, natural gas liquids, oil sands, conventional heavy oil, conventional light oil, and offshore oil production. The company says its West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil breakeven price is roughly US$40 to US$45 per barrel. Oil slipped from more than US$80 last year to below US$60 in 2025, but CNRL is still very profitable, even at the lower price point.
Management is good at quickly moving capital around the portfolio to get the best returns based on current market conditions. CNRL also has the financial firepower to make strategic acquisitions at opportune times to boost revenue and reserves. Investors who buy CNQ stock at the current price near $44 can pick up a dividend yield of 5.3%.
Bank of Nova Scotia
Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX: BNS) has underperformed its large Canadian peers in recent years. The stock trades near $74 per share at the time of writing. That’s the same price it fetched in late 2016. Over the past eight years, the stock has been as low as $50 in 2020 and as high as $93 in early 2022. The long-term trend, however, is in the right direction.
Bank of Nova Scotia is working through a strategy shift that will see it allocate more growth capital to the United States and Canada and less to Latin America where the big bets over the past 20 to 30 years have not delivered the expected investor returns. Investors will need to be patient, but the stock should be a solid pick at the current price, and you get paid a decent 5.9% dividend yield right now to wait for the turnaround plan to deliver results.
The bottom line
Fortis, CNRL, and Bank of Nova Scotia pay attractive dividends that should continue to grow. If you have some cash to put to work in a TFSA targeting passive income, these stocks deserve to be on your radar.
