Public holidays in Canada

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In Canada, public holidays are legislated at the national, provincial and territorial levels. Many of these holidays are observed nationwide, but each province and territory does have its own holidays as well.

While major Christian holidays such as Christmas and Good Friday are officially observed, other religious holidays are widely accepted as well (see Multiculturalism). For example, some school children and employees take days off for Jewish holidays, Muslim holidays, or Eastern Orthodox observances according to the Julian calendar. While not normally taken off work, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Hallowe'en are traditionally observed by Canadians.

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[edit] Statutory holidays

A statutory holiday (also known as "general" or "public" holiday) in Canada is legislated either through the federal, or a provincial or territorial government.[1] 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 be paid at a premium rate — usually 1½ (known as "time and a half") or 2 times (known as "double time") the regular pay for their time worked that day, in addition to the holiday pay (except for high technology workers in British Columbia).[2] In most provinces, when a statutory holiday falls on a normal day off (generally a weekend), the following work day is considered a statutory holiday.

[edit] Nationwide statutory holidays in Canada

Date English Name French Name Remarks
January 1 New Year's Day Le jour de l'An Celebrates the first day of every year in the Gregorian calendar.
Friday before Easter Sunday Good Friday Le vendredi saint Acknowledges the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

In Quebec, employers must give either Good Friday or Easter Monday as a statutory holiday.
July 1 Canada Day La fête du Canada Commemoration of Canada's 1867 Confederation. If July 1 is a Sunday, the holiday is legally on July 2.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, observed as Memorial Day.
First Monday in September Labour Day La fête du travail Commemoration of the economic and social achievements of workers.
December 25 Christmas Day Noël Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

[edit] Statutory holidays for federal employees

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

Date English Name French Name Remarks
Monday after Easter Sunday Easter Monday Lundi de Pâques Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
Monday on or before May 24 Victoria Day La fête de la Reine Celebration of the birthday of the current Canadian monarch. (May 24 was the birthday of Queen Victoria.)
Second Monday in October Thanksgiving L'Action de grâce A day to give thanks for the things one has at the close of the harvest season.

(Note: Thanksgiving is not celebrated on the same day as it is in the U.S.)
December 26 Boxing Day Le lendemain de Noël Commemorates the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.[3]

[edit] Other common statutory holidays

Date English Name French Name Remarks
Third Monday in February Family Day Fête de la famille A relatively new holiday that coincides with the US holiday Presidents Day. Celebrated as Louis Riel Day in Manitoba.
First Monday in August August Civic Holiday Premier lundi d'août Celebrated in most Canadian provinces but it is far from uniform nationwide. Two provinces and one territory do not recognize it at all, and five other provinces do not make it a statutory holiday. No nationwide name is recognized for this holiday, with the official name varying among the provinces and even among municipalities within Ontario.[4]
November 11 Remembrance Day Le jour du Souvenir Commemoration of Canada's war dead. Anniversary of the armistice ending World War I in 1918.

[edit] Provincial and territorial holidays

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

[edit] Alberta

[edit] British Columbia

[edit] Manitoba

[edit] New Brunswick

[edit] Newfoundland and Labrador

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 (weather permitting). Harbour Grace has a similar holiday for its regatta. All other municipalities are entitled to designate one day a year as a civic holiday, however many do not take advantage of this.

[edit] Northwest Territories

[edit] Nova Scotia

  • Flag of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia - 5 holidays. Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day and Remembrance Day are not statutory holidays.
    • Remembrance Day - not a statutory holiday, in that employers have the option of giving Remembrance Day or an alternate day off. [11]
    • Natal Day - first Monday in August; not a statutory holiday but a common day off.

[edit] Nunavut

[edit] Ontario

[edit] Prince Edward Island

  • Flag of Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island - 5 nationwide and 1 provincial statutory holiday. Thanksgiving, and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays.

[edit] Quebec

[edit] Saskatchewan

[edit] Yukon

Many employers give their employees days off that may not be statutory holidays in the particular province, particularly Boxing Day. Similarly, many federally regulated employees may also take Easter Monday and the first Monday in August.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Civic holidays

In Canada, there are two definitions of the term "civic holiday":

[edit] Legal definition

By law, a civic holiday is defined as any holiday which is legally recognized and for which employers are obliged to offer holiday pay.

[edit] The August Civic Holiday

In parts of Canada, the term "Civic Holiday" is a generic name referring to a the annual holiday on the first Monday of August. However, this definition is far from uniform nationwide as two provinces and one territory do not recognize it at all, and five other provinces do not oblige employers to offer holiday pay on this day, thus making it a civic holiday in the legal sense. No universal name is recognized for this holiday — the official name varies between the provinces and even between municipalities within Ontario.

[edit] Proposed holidays

In recent years there has been a call for the Canadian government to recognize St. Patrick's Day as a national holiday. Currently it is a holiday only for provincial government employees in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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.

The major Canadian breweries have long lobbied for a holiday in June.

Some Canadians believe that the country does not have enough holidays (in comparison to the United States and the United Kingdom. Although these nations have about the same number of nationally recognized holidays, they generally receive more days off work[citation needed] and school). Proposals for more work holidays are strongly opposed by many employers, however.

In the province of Nova Scotia, due to a relative lack of days off, there has been debate over the introduction of a statutory holiday in the month of February. However, no action has been taken so far.

[edit] Holidays occurring on non-work days

If a holiday occurs on a day that is normally not worked, then "... another day off with pay will be provided." There are some exceptions, however. In Alberta, an employee is not entitled to compensation if a holiday falls on a non-work day, which some believe to be in contravention of the Canada Labour Code.[citation needed]

There are also specific laws pertinent to St-Jean-Baptiste day in Québec. [1]

[edit] Other observances

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Work Rights - Statutory Holidays. Canadian Labour Congress (2007-01-17). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  2. ^ High Technology Professionals and High Technology Companies in British Columbia Fact Sheet. Government of BC, Labour & Citizens' Services, Employment Standards Branch (2007-05-18). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  3. ^ Boxing Day. Department of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  4. ^ First Monday in August Holiday
  5. ^ General Holidays and General Holiday Pay in Alberta
  6. ^ Public Holidays in British Columbia
  7. ^ Manitoba Retail Businesses Holiday Closing Act
  8. ^ Paid Statutory Holidays in Employment Standards Legislation
  9. ^ http://www.workrights.ca/content.php?doc=11&xwm=true Statutory Holidays - New Brunswick]
  10. ^ Shops' Closing Regulations, C.N.L.R. 1115/96.
  11. ^ Remembrance Day Act. Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  12. ^ CHOO/COPO - Colonel By Day 2007. The Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa (2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  13. ^ Chris Carter. "A holiday with history", toronto.com, 2005-08-06. Retrieved on 2008-03-23. 

[edit] External links

Holidays Portal
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