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Public holidays in Canada

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Summary

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FieldValue
imageTransparentholidaycanadaicon.png
imagesize160px
holiday_namePublic holidays in Canada
nickname
observedbyResidents of Canada
observancesNATIONWIDE (in bold) and FEDERAL (in italics):
mdyyes
celebrationsVarious
typeNational, provincial, federal
  • New Year's Day
  • Good Friday
  • Easter Monday
  • Victoria Day
  • Canada Day
  • Civic Holiday
  • Labour Day
  • Truth and Reconciliation Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Remembrance Day
  • Christmas Day
  • Boxing Day Public holidays in Canada known as statutory holidays, stat holidays, or simply stats (), consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religious holidays that are legislated in Canada at the federal or provincial and territorial levels. While many of these holidays are honoured and acknowledged nationwide, provincial and territorial legislation varies in regard to which are officially recognized.

There are five nationwide statutory holidays and six additional holidays for federal employees. Each of the 13 provinces and territories observes a number of holidays in addition to the nationwide days, but each varies in regard to which are legislated as either statutory, optional, or not at all.

Many public and private employers, as well as school systems, provide additional days off around the end of December, often including at least a full or half-day on December 24 (Christmas Eve) or December 31 (New Year's Eve) or in some cases, the entire week between Christmas and New Year. While not officially legislated in any capacity, internationally notable cultural holidays such as Valentine's Day, Saint Patrick's Day, Halloween, Mother's Day, and Father's Day are traditionally observed by Canadians as part of Canadian culture.

Statutory holidays

A statutory holiday (also known as "stats" or "general" or "public" holiday) in Canada is legislated either through the federal government or a provincial or territorial government. Most workers, public and private, are entitled to take the day off with regular pay. However, some employers may require employees to work on such a holiday, but the employee must either receive a day off in lieu of the holiday or must be paid at a premium rateusually (known as "time and a half") or twice (known as "double time") the regular pay for their time worked that day, in addition to the holiday pay. In most provinces, when a statutory holiday falls on a normal day off (generally a weekend), the following workday is considered a statutory holiday. Statistics Canada shows an average of 11 paid statutory holidays per year in regard to all firms and corporations operating within the province.

Nationwide statutory holidays in Canada

DateEnglish nameFrench nameRemarks
January 1New Year's DayJour de l'AnCelebrates the first day of every year in the Gregorian calendar
Variable date between March 20 and April 23Good FridayVendredi saintCommemorates the crucifixion of Jesus, on the Friday preceding Easter.
July 1Canada DayFête du CanadaCelebrates Canada's 1867 Confederation and establishment of dominion status.
First Monday in SeptemberLabour DayFête du travailCelebrates economic and social achievements of workers
December 25Christmas DayNoëlCelebrates the nativity of Jesus

Federal statutory holidays, also observed in some provinces

In addition to the nationwide holidays listed above, the following holidays are mandated by federal legislation for federally regulated employees. All banks and post offices commemorate these holidays, and they are statutory in some provinces and territories.

DateEnglish nameFrench nameRemarks
In lieu of Good Friday (Stat Holiday), Monday after Easter DayEaster MondayLundi de PâquesVariable date between March 23 and April 26. Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
Monday preceding May 25Victoria DayOfficially la Fête de Victoria (more commonly called la Fête de la Reine) or Journée nationale des PatriotesCelebrates the birthday of the reigning Canadian monarch; however, the date does not change with the change of monarch, being instead fixed on the birthday of Queen Victoria, the sovereign at the time of Canadian Confederation and establishment of dominion status in 1867. Some French-Canadians celebrate instead Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, a French-Canadian hero from the New France times on this day; officially National Patriots' Day in Quebec.
First Monday in AugustCivic HolidayCongé civiqueStatutory holiday in British Columbia (British Columbia Day), New Brunswick (New Brunswick Day), Northwest Territories (Civic Holiday), Nunavut (Civic Holiday), and Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Day).
September 30National Day for Truth and ReconciliationJournée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliationCommemorates the victims of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Unofficial observance of this date began in 2013 as Orange Shirt Day, a local educational event in Williams Lake, British Columbia. The day has been a holiday for employees of the federal government and federally-regulated industries since 2021.
Second Monday in OctoberThanksgiving DayAction de grâceA day to give thanks for the things one has at the close of the harvest season.
November 11Remembrance DayJour du SouvenirCommemorates Canada's war dead. Anniversary of the armistice ending World War I in 1918.
December 26Boxing DayLendemain de NoëlA holiday with mixed and uncertain origins and definitions.

Other common holidays

DateEnglish nameFrench nameRemarks
Third Monday in FebruaryStatutory holiday under various names in Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
One full week during the month of March (timing varies)Week-long closure of public schools across all provinces and territories. Often used as an opportunity for families with schoolchildren to go on vacation.

One-off holidays

Governments in Canada have declared one-off holidays on certain occasions, such as the death of a Canadian monarch. A one-off holiday was declared after the death of George VI on February 15, 1952, and after the death of Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022.

September 19 was named a national day of mourning () to commemorate Elizabeth II as Canada's head of state. The day was a holiday for federal government employees. The provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island also enacted provincial equivalents for the federal holiday. The provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Quebec did not enact any holiday.

Provincial and territorial holidays

Provinces and territories generally adopt the same holidays as the federal government with some variations.

DateABBCMBNBNLNTNSNUONPEQCSKYT
January 1New Year's Day}}
Third Monday in FebruaryFamily Day}}
Friday preceding Easter DayGood Friday}}
Monday after Easter Day
Monday preceding May 25Victoria Day}}Victoria Day}}Victoria Day}}
June 21
June 24
July 1Canada Day}}Canada Day}}
July 9
First Monday in August
Third Monday in August
First Monday in SeptemberLabour Day}}
September 30
Second Monday in OctoberThanksgiving Day}}Thanksgiving Day}}Thanksgiving Day}}
November 11Remembrance Day}}Remembrance Day}}Remembrance Day}}
December 25Christmas Day}}
December 26
Total stat. holidays9url=https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/statutory-holidaystitle=Statutory holidays in British Columbiaaccess-date=February 4, 2024}}986/15136/711/139881011

Alberta

Five nationwide statutory holidays, four provincial holidays as well as three "optional holidays".

Provincial statutory

  • Alberta Family Daythird Monday in February
  • Victoria Daylast Monday preceding May 25
  • Thanksgivingsecond Monday in October
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Optional

  • Easter Mondayvariable date between March 23 and April 26
  • Heritage Dayfirst Monday of August
  • Alberta DaySeptember 1
  • National Day for Truth and ReconciliationSeptember 30
  • Boxing DayDecember 26

British Columbia

Five nationwide and six provincial statutory holidays.

Provincial statutory

  • Family Daythird Monday of February
  • Victoria Daylast Monday preceding May 25
  • British Columbia Dayfirst Monday of August
  • National Day for Truth and ReconciliationSeptember 30
  • Thanksgivingsecond Monday of October
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Manitoba

Five nationwide and three provincial statutory holidays, as well as two optional holidays. Remembrance Day and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays.

Provincial statutory

  • Louis Riel Daythird Monday in February
  • Victoria Daylast Monday preceding May 25
  • Thanksgivingsecond Monday in October

Optional

  • Terry Fox Day (Civic Holiday)first Monday in August
  • Remembrance Dayan "official day of observance"

New Brunswick

Five nationwide and five provincial statutory holidays. Although prescribed as public holidays, Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, and Boxing Day are not paid public holidays.

Provincial statutory

  • Family Daythird Monday in February (since 2018)
  • New Brunswick Dayfirst Monday in August
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Optional

  • Victoria Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Boxing Day

Newfoundland and Labrador

Five nationwide and one provincial statutory holiday. Thanksgiving is not a statutory holiday. Canada Day is not a statutory holiday as July 1 is Memorial Day.

Provincial statutory

  • Memorial DayJuly 1
  • Armistice Day (Remembrance Day)November 11

Optional

The following is a list of designated paid holidays for government employees.

  • Saint Patrick's DayMarch 17
  • Saint George's DayApril 23
  • Victoria DayMonday preceding May 25
  • June Holidaytemporary name, formerly known as Discovery Day until 2020; Monday closest to June 24
  • Orangemen's DayMonday closest to July 12
  • National Day for Truth and ReconciliationSeptember 30
  • Thanksgivingsecond Monday in October
  • Boxing DayDecember 26
  • One (1) additional day in each year that, in the opinion of the permanent head, is recognized to be a civic holiday in the area in which the employee is employed. If no civic holiday is provided, the employee shall be granted an additional day at a time to be determined by the permanent head.

These have not been observed as statutory holidays since 1992. They are, however, observed by the provincial government. Unlike most other provinces, there is no province-wide holiday on the first Monday in August. It may be seen as redundant due to the Royal St. John's Regatta, which is observed as a civic holiday in St. John's on the first Wednesday in August (or, in case of poor weather, the next suitable day thereafter). Harbour Grace and Labrador City have a similar holiday for their regatta in late July. All other municipalities are entitled to designate one day a year as a civic holiday; however, many do not take advantage of this.

Northwest Territories

Five nationwide holidays and eight territorial statutory holidays.

Territorial statutory

  • Easter MondayMonday following Easter
  • Victoria DayMonday preceding May 25
  • National Indigenous Peoples DayJune 21
  • Civic Holidayfirst Monday in August
  • National Day of Truth and ReconciliationSeptember 30
  • Thanksgivingsecond Monday of October
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11
  • Boxing DayDecember 26

Nova Scotia

Five nationwide holidays plus two provincial holidays. Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays but most businesses and retail are closed Boxing Day. Most statutory holidays can be substituted for a mutually agreeable alternative paid day off in lieu or employers can require employees to work at a premium rate of pay. Several types of employment, including workplaces covered by a collective agreement, are exempt from provincial rules governing statutory holidays.

Provincial statutory

  • Heritage DayThis holiday is held on the third Monday of February since 2015, and celebrates notable people, events and locations from the province's history. In 2015, Heritage Day celebrated Black Nova Scotian civil rights activist and businesswoman Viola Desmond.
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11; this holiday has been governed separately from all other public holidays in Nova Scotia since 1981: it is illegal for any person to offer any goods or real property for sale on this date, or to accept or offer employment in exchange for gain or reward. There are special exemptions for workers who are employed in certain categories but an alternative day off with pay must be offered in lieu.

Optional

  • Natal Dayfirst Monday in August; not a statutory holiday but a common day off in Halifax Regional Municipality.

Nunavut

Five nationwide and six territorial statutory holidays.

Territorial statutory

  • Victoria DayMonday preceding May 25
  • Nunavut DayJuly 9
  • Civic Holidayfirst Monday in August
  • Truth and ReconciliationSeptember 30
  • Thanksgivingsecond Monday in October
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Ontario

Five nationwide and four provincial statutory holidays. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially recognized in Toronto in 2018 and has also been in Ottawa, though not as a paid holiday.

Provincial statutory

  • Family Daythird Monday in February
  • Victoria DayMonday preceding May 25
  • Thanksgiving Daysecond Monday of October
  • Boxing DayDecember 26

Optional

  • Civic Holidayfirst Monday in August
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Prince Edward Island

Five nationwide and three provincial statutory holidays.

Provincial statutory

  • Islander Daythird Monday in February (originally second)
  • Truth and Reconciliation DaySeptember 30
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Optional

  • Gold Cup Parade Daythird Friday in August. Celebrated in the capital city of Charlottetown marking the end of the Provincial Exhibition and the Gold Cup and Saucer race at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The day is observed as a holiday by some businesses in the central and eastern areas of the province.

Quebec

In Quebec, there are five nationwide and three provincial statutory holidays. Remembrance Day and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays, and there is no civic holiday in August. Many details of employment law are different in Quebec. The official statutory holidays are:

  • January 1 (New Year’s Day)
  • Good Friday or Easter Monday at the employer’s choice
  • Monday preceding May 25 (National Patriots' Day)
  • June 24 (Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day)
  • July 1. If this date falls on a Sunday: July 2 (Canada Day)
  • First Monday in September (Labour Day)
  • Second Monday in October (Thanksgiving Day)
  • December 25 (Christmas Day).

Optional

  • Construction Holiday () takes place during the last two weeks of July and also the last two weeks of December for Christmas holidays. While it applies officially only to the construction industry, many other Quebecers arrange to take their vacations during these two weeks.

Saskatchewan

Five nationwide and five provincial statutory holidays.

Provincial statutory

  • Family Daythird Monday in February
  • Victoria DayMonday preceding May 25
  • Saskatchewan Dayfirst Monday in August. Celebration of Saskatchewan history and culture similar to Canada Day.
  • Thanksgiving Daysecond Monday in October
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11

Yukon

Five nationwide and four territorial statutory holidays. In addition, Easter Monday, Boxing Day, and Heritage Day are statutory for public service workers. Many employers give their employees days off that may not be statutory holidays in the particular province, particularly Boxing Day.

Territorial statutory

  • Victoria DayMonday preceding May 25
  • Discovery Daythird Monday in August
  • Thanksgiving Daysecond Monday in October
  • Remembrance DayNovember 11
  • National Aboriginal DayJune 21; since 2017

Optional

The following days are not Yukon statutory holidays:

  • Heritage DayFriday preceding the last Sunday in February; optional for non-public service workers.
  • Easter Monday
  • Boxing DayDecember 26

Municipal holidays

Some municipalities also have local statutory holidays. For instance, the morning of the Stampede Parade is often given as a half-day holiday in the city of Calgary. In Ontario, the August Civic Holiday is not defined provincially, but by each municipality.

Civic holidays

Proposed holidays

The other leading candidate for a new holiday is a weekend in February to celebrate the anniversary of the Canadian flag, or more likely a general "Heritage Day". February 15 is already designated as Flag Day, but this is simply a day of commemoration, not a statutory holiday.

In April 2014, a private member's bill to make Remembrance Day a legal holiday and give it the same status as Canada Day was introduced to the House of Commons. Bill C-597 passed second reading in the House of Commons by a margin of 258 to 2; however, it did not become law.

In 2001, members of the 14th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories passed the National Aboriginal Day Act, making it the first jurisdiction in Canada to recognize this day as a formal statutory holiday.

Holidays occurring on non-work days

For federally regulated workers, if a holiday occurs on a day that is normally not worked, then "another day off with pay will be provided".

When New Year's Day, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday which a federally regulated worker would not normally work, they are entitled to a holiday with pay on the working day immediately before or after the holiday. If one of the other holidays falls on a weekend, then the employer must add a holiday with pay to their employees’ annual vacation or give them a paid day off at another mutually convenient time.

Other observances

  • Groundhog Day, February 2
  • Valentine's Day, February 14
  • National Flag of Canada Day, February 15
  • International Women's Day, March 8
  • Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March. This has been observed as a holiday in some Commonwealth countries.
  • Saint Patrick's Day, March 17
  • April Fool's Day, April 1
  • Tartan Day, April 6
  • Earth Day, April 22
  • Victory in Europe Day, May 8
  • Mother's Day, second Sunday of May
  • Father's Day, third Sunday of June
  • Loyalist Day, June 19, celebrating Canada's Loyalist heritage, particularly in Ontario and New Brunswick (also the day Upper Canada was created, now Ontario)
  • National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21 as part of the Celebrate Canada series
  • Canadian Multiculturalism Day, June 27 as part of the Celebrate Canada series
  • National Peacekeepers' Day, August 9 observed on the closest Sunday
  • National Grandparents' Day, second Sunday in September
  • National Family Week, week preceding Thanksgiving
  • Halloween, October 31
  • National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, December 6

Notes

References

References

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  2. (August 16, 2016). "Statutory Holidays". Government of Canada.
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  10. (2000). "Employment Standards Act, 2000". [[Government of Ontario]].
  11. (1990). "Retail Business Holidays Act". Government of Ontario.
  12. (August 18, 2022). "Gold Cup Day: What's open and closed on P.E.I.". CBC News.
  13. "What is Orange Shirt Day?".
  14. (June 3, 2021). "Royal assent given to bill creating national day for truth and reconciliation".
  15. (February 7, 2023). "National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to become a statutory holiday in B.C.". CBC News.
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  39. "Nova Scotia Remembrance Day Act".
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  42. "Ontario Public holidays".
  43. (December 21, 2017). "Prince Edward Island Paid Holidays".
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  67. (June 16, 2020). "Nunavut Day now a stat holiday in the territory". [[CBC News]].
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  80. (February 5, 2024). "Heritage Day".
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  82. "National Aboriginal Day". Government of the Northwest Territories.
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  84. "Women's Day in Canada – Women's Day Celebration in Canada".
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