What should HR leaders do before Nov. 11, 2027?
Remembrance Day put two issues in front of Canadian employers at once: grief among employees with military ties, and a statutory holiday that applies in some provinces but not others.
Both test HR leaders, even in 2026.
“This year in the aftermath of the Wainwright tragedy it’s a reminder of what service might mean and the immense sacrifice that our [Canadian Armed Forces] members do along with their families,” Gen. Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), told CBC News at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Grief doesn’t follow the statutory holiday map
Carignan was referring to a fire during a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright in Alberta in October 2026. Federal Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight told CBC News the fire left four people dead and 39 injured.
“For families who are dealing with the unimaginable, I think it’s very difficult to say how they’re coping,” McKnight said.
That grief reaches beyond military bases. Reservists, veterans and military families work in civilian jobs across the country, whether or not their province treats Nov. 11 as a holiday.
Governor General Louise Arbour, who laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, made the same point in a statement. “Such moments remind us that behind every uniform is a human being: someone who serves with dedication, accepts risk on behalf of others and is supported by loved ones who share in the sacrifices that service often demands,” she said.
Supporting those employees is a choice every employer can make. What employers must pay them, however, depends entirely on where they work.
The Remembrance Day pay trap for multi-province employers
For federally regulated employers, the rule is simple. The Government of Canada lists Remembrance Day among 10 general holidays under the Canada Labour Code, entitling employees to a day off with pay.
Provincial rules vary. Alberta lists Remembrance Day among its general holidays, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Ontario’s guide to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 states that employers are not required to give a holiday on Remembrance Day.
Manitoba and Nova Scotia each have a separate Remembrance Day Act, with different results. In Manitoba, employees who work are entitled to a regular day’s pay plus 1.5 times their regular wage for their hours worked, or for at least half their normal workday, whichever is greater. Manitoba’s Employment Standards branch has investigated a discount retail chain that paid staff only regular wages for the day.
Nova Scotia takes another approach. Employees who work Nov. 11 may be entitled to another day off with pay, generally if they were entitled to wages for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before.
As a result, a national retailer could owe premium pay in Winnipeg, a substitute day in Halifax and nothing by statute in Toronto.
What HR leaders should do before Nov. 11, 2027
Government agencies offer tools for both problems. Nova Scotia provides a Remembrance Day Act assessment tool, and Ontario’s Employment Standards Self-Service Tool checks compliance with public holidays.
For reservists, National Defence publishes a guide to drafting a military leave policy, and its Compensation for Employers of Reservists Program offers financial support to employers when reservists are away for training or operations.
Grief needs a plan too. Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business reports that two-thirds of Canadian employers have at least one bereavement leave a year. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) publishes a handbook for managers on grief and loss at work. Alberta’s career service advises grieving workers to ask HR about extra leave, employee assistance programs (EAPs) or grief counselling.
HRD Canada has covered mental health support in Canadian workplaces and which statutory holidays apply in Ontario. Employers in HRD Canada’s Best Places to Work in Canada special report show that listening to staff turns days like Nov. 11 into a test of culture, not just payroll.
