Canadian stat holidays by province: key dates and rules explained

Everybody looks forward to Canadian stat holidays. Well, maybe except HR and payroll teams. Figuring out which provinces and territories observe which holidays, and calculating holiday pay, can be a challenge. Why are stat holidays in Canada so complicated? 

In this article, we attempt to simplify and outline the basic facts to know about stat holidays across Canada. We’ll include a listing of public holidays by province and territory, with a snapshot of who qualifies for holiday pay. We'll also show what employees get in terms of pay if they work on Canadian stat holidays. 

This is not a detailed guide by any means. Visit the website for each province or territory for more specific guidelines. 

What are the mandatory paid stat holidays in Canada? 

There are 12 mandatory paid Canadian stat holidays: 

• New Year’s Day 
• Good Friday 
• Easter Monday 
• Victoria Day or National Patriot’s Day 
• Canada Day 
• Labour Day 
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (in some provinces and territories) 
• Thanksgiving 
• Remembrance Day 
• Christmas Day 
• Boxing Day 
• Provincial or civic holiday in the area where an employee is based 

A statutory holiday (or stat holiday) is a public holiday. On this day, employers are required to give employees paid time off or premium pay if they must work that day. This is in line with federal, provincial, and territorial laws. 

Stat holidays have cultural, religious, or historical importance. While they may vary across provinces and territories, there are five Canadian stat holidays that are observed nationwide: 

• New Year’s Day 
• Good Friday (Easter Monday in Québec) 
• Canada Day  
• Labour Day 
• Christmas Day 

To help you keep track of Canadian stat holidays and manage holiday pay, choose a reliable HRIS and payroll software. We’ve listed the best HR software companies in Canada to help you make that choice. 

List of Canadian stat holidays by province 

What we list here is the total number of Canadian stat holidays for each province, including the five we mentioned earlier. We also give an overview of who is entitled to holiday pay. 

Alberta 

An employee in Alberta gets stat holiday pay if they: 

• have worked at least 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday 
• work on the stat holiday if they are required or scheduled to work 
• work on the last scheduled day before the holiday or the first scheduled day after the holiday  

If the holiday falls on a regular workday, the employee gets the day off and the day’s salary. 

If an employee in Alberta needs to work on a Canadian stat holiday, they get paid 1.5 times their hourly wage rate. 

British Columbia  

Employees in British Columbia get statutory holiday pay if they: 

• have been employed by the company for 30 calendar days, and 
• have earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before a stat holiday 

Those who work on a stat holiday get 1.5 times their usual pay. They get double pay if they work over 12 hours.  

Some employees in B.C. don’t receive stat holiday pay, such as: 

• nursing students and volunteer fire fighters 
• farm workers 
• managers 
• fishers 

Check the Employment Standards Regulation for details on these exceptions. 

Manitoba 

All employees get general holiday pay unless: 

• they are due to work on a Canadian stat holiday but don't report for work  
• they are away on their last scheduled workday before the stat holiday or the first scheduled workday after the holiday 

In Manitoba, there is no minimum length of employment required to qualify for stat holiday pay. 

Employees who work on Canadian stat holidays usually get their general holiday pay plus 1.5 times their usual pay.  

General holiday pay means: 

• for those who work fixed hours: their usual pay 

• for those who work irregular hours: five percent of total wages for the four-week period before the holiday  

Employers and employees in Manitoba have some leeway in choosing when to take their Canadian stat holiday. This should be outlined in a union agreement or a written agreement with most of the employees. 

The only holiday that cannot be taken on another day is Orange Shirt Day.  

Manitoba officially made Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday in December 2023. 

New Brunswick 

To qualify for a paid stat holiday, an employee must: 

• be employed by the same company for at least 90 calendar days in the 12 months before the public holiday 
• have worked their scheduled regular workday before and after the holiday, unless there is a good reason for not doing so 
• have reported for work if they were scheduled to work on the stat holiday 

An employee in New Brunswick who works on a Canadian stat holiday gets paid based on these rates: 

• If they don’t meet the conditions above: 1.5 times their regular wage  
• If they meet the conditions: regular day’s pay plus 1.5 times their regular pay 

Here’s a guide from the government of New Brunswick with more details. 

Newfoundland and Labrador 

Holiday pay does not apply to an employee in Newfoundland and Labrador if:  

• the public holiday falls within 30 days from when the employee started working for the employer 
• the employee fails to work on a scheduled workday before or after the public holiday  

 If an employee is required to work during a stat holiday, they can get: 

• double their usual wages, or 
• a full day off with pay to be taken within 30 days of the public holiday 

If you noticed a short list of Canadian stat holidays, you’re right. NL is one of two provinces with the least number of public holidays. (The other is Nova Scotia.) 

Northwest Territories 

An employee in NWT should meet several conditions to qualify for holiday pay. Some of these are: 

• they must have worked for the employer for 30 days within 12 months before the holiday  
• they must report to work on the last scheduled workday before the holiday and their next scheduled workday after the holiday 

A worker who meets these requirements and works on a public holiday can get: 

• an average day’s pay plus time and a half, or 
• have the holiday transferred to another day 

In 2023, the Northwest Territories sought public feedback on its Employment Standards Act. One of the points it requested feedback on was statutory holidays. 

Nova Scotia 

An employee in Nova Scotia must meet these conditions to receive holiday pay: 

• they must be entitled to receive pay for at least 15 days out of the 30 calendar days before the holiday, and 
• they must have worked their last scheduled shift before the holiday and the first scheduled shift after the holiday 

Those who meet these requirements and work on a holiday receive regular pay plus time and a half. 

There are exceptions to Nova Scotia’s holiday pay rules, such as:  

• most farm employees 
• real estate and car salespeople 
• employees who work on a fishing boat 

Visit the Nova Scotia website’s holiday pay section for the complete list.  

Nunavut 

 Nunavut employers are not required to give holiday pay to employees who: 

• have not worked for the same employer for a total of 30 days within the 12 months before the holiday 
• did not report for work on the holiday if they were required to work on that day 
• did not report for work on the working day before and the working day after the stat holiday 
• are pregnant or on parental leave 

If an employee works on a general holiday, they are entitled to: 

• regular day’s pay plus time and a half or 
• another paid day off 

Here’s a more in-depth article on who gets holiday pay on Remembrance Day. 

Ontario 

Most employees in Ontario qualify for public holiday pay unless: 

• the employee does not work on their scheduled workday before or after the public holiday  
• they do not turn up on the public holiday if they were required to work that day 

If an employee agrees to work on a public holiday, they can get: 

• regular wages plus another day off, or 
• public holiday pay plus premium pay 

Read our article focusing on Ontario’s statutory holidays and the Employment Standards Act. 

Prince Edward Island 

To qualify for paid holidays in PEI, employees must: 

• have been employed with the same company for at least 30 calendar days before the holiday 
• have received wages for at least 15 of those 30 days 
• have worked their final scheduled shift before the holiday and their first scheduled shift afterward 

Employees who meet these conditions and agree to work on a holiday are entitled to: 

• their regular daily wage plus 1.5 times their hourly rate for the hours worked on the holiday, or 
• their standard hourly pay for the hours worked on the holiday, along with an additional paid day off 

The additional paid day off must be taken before the employee’s next scheduled vacation. 

Québec 

Employees in Québec are entitled to holiday pay except if they don’t report to work the day before or after the Canadian stat holiday. 

Anyone who is required to work on a public holiday gets their regular pay for the day plus: 

• an indemnity for a stat holiday, or 
• a paid day off  

An indemnity is 1/20 of the wages earned during the four weeks before the holiday. You can use an indemnity calculator to help with this. 

The paid day off, meanwhile, can be taken within the 3 weeks before or after the stat holiday. An exception here is National Patriots’ Day. 

Saskatchewan 

There is no minimum length of employment to qualify for holiday pay in Saskatchewan. Holiday pay is five percent of an employee’s wages in the four weeks before the public holiday. 

Employees who work on a public holiday receive their usual day’s pay plus time and a half for hours worked. The government of Saskatchewan has a holiday pay tool to help with these calculations. 

Yukon 

Workers in Yukon get paid Canadian stat holidays if they meet these conditions: 

• they've been employed for 30 calendar days 
• they work their last scheduled shift before the holiday and their first scheduled shift after the holiday  
• they work on the holiday if they’re called in to work 

If an employee works on a public holiday, they can: 

• get overtime pay for hours worked on top of their regular salary, or 
• receive a regular rate for hours worked plus a paid day off 

The day off can be added to the employee’s vacation leave allocation or taken on a day agreed by both employee and employer. More details are in this fact sheet from the Yukon government. 

Key takeaways for HR leaders on Canadian stat holidays 

There are three important points to consider when it comes to Canadian stat holidays: legal compliance, employee morale, business operations. Multiply that by 10 provinces and 3 territories...it can all seem overwhelming.  

What steps can HR teams take to help manage this? 

• Plan ahead. Remind your employees of upcoming Canadian stat holidays. Alert team leads to plan shifts well in advance, filling in any gaps during busy times of the year.  

• Review your holiday policies. Make sure they’re aligned with federal, provincial, or territorial law.  

• Know where your employees are based. With many employees now working hybrid or remote, it’s crucial to keep tabs on them. If you know where they are, you’ll know which provincial or territorial stat holiday applies to them.  

• Encourage employees to reflect on the significance of the holiday. Send out short messages to your workforce to remind them why that public holiday is being celebrated. If some of them are working, organize a small event at work to mark the occasion.  

These pointers will help your organization meet compliance requirements, ensure business continuity, and make Canadian stat holidays meaningful for everyone.  

We hope you found this article on Canadian stat holidays helpful. Share your feedback in the comments