Canadian Statutory Holidays by Province for 2026 (Complete Guide)

Managing statutory holidays in Canada is more complicated than it looks. With nine federal holidays, a patchwork of provincial holidays, and rules that differ by jurisdiction, it is easy to get it wrong — especially if you have employees in more than one province.

This guide covers every statutory holiday for 2026, broken down by province, with the employer obligations you need to know.

Federal Statutory Holidays for 2026

These holidays are established by the Canada Labour Code and apply to all federally regulated employees. Most provinces also observe these holidays, though the rules and names sometimes differ.

Federally regulated vs. provincially regulated

Federally regulated employers include banks, telecommunications companies, airlines, interprovincial transportation, and federal government agencies. Most private-sector employers are provincially regulated and must follow their province's employment standards legislation instead. The federal list below is a starting point — always check your province's specific requirements.

| Holiday | 2026 Date | Day of Week | |---------|-----------|-------------| | New Year's Day | January 1 | Thursday | | Good Friday | April 3 | Friday | | Victoria Day | May 18 | Monday | | Canada Day | July 1 | Wednesday | | Labour Day | September 7 | Monday | | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | September 30 | Wednesday | | Thanksgiving Day | October 12 | Monday | | Remembrance Day | November 11 | Wednesday | | Christmas Day | December 25 | Friday |

Province-by-Province Breakdown

Every province and territory has its own list of statutory holidays. Some closely mirror the federal list, while others add unique holidays or skip ones you might expect. Below is what each province observes in 2026.

Alberta

Alberta recognizes nine statutory holidays:

New Year's Day — January 1
Family Day — February 16 (third Monday of February)
Good Friday — April 3
Victoria Day — May 18
Canada Day — July 1
Labour Day — September 7
Thanksgiving Day — October 12
Remembrance Day — November 11
Christmas Day — December 25

Alberta does not currently legislate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday for provincially regulated employees.

British Columbia

British Columbia recognizes ten statutory holidays:

New Year's Day — January 1
Family Day — February 16 (third Monday of February)
Good Friday — April 3
Victoria Day — May 18
Canada Day — July 1
British Columbia Day — August 3 (first Monday of August)
Labour Day — September 7
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — September 30
Thanksgiving Day — October 12
Remembrance Day — November 11
Christmas Day — December 25

BC was among the first provinces to adopt the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a provincial statutory holiday.

Manitoba

Manitoba recognizes eight statutory holidays:

New Year's Day — January 1
Louis Riel Day — February 16 (third Monday of February)
Good Friday — April 3
Victoria Day — May 18
Canada Day — July 1
Labour Day — September 7
Thanksgiving Day — October 12
Christmas Day — December 25

Manitoba calls its February holiday "Louis Riel Day" rather than Family Day. Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Manitoba, though many employers observe it voluntarily.

Ontario

Ontario recognizes nine public holidays:

New Year's Day — January 1
Family Day — February 16 (third Monday of February)
Good Friday — April 3
Victoria Day — May 18
Canada Day — July 1
Civic Holiday — August 3 (first Monday of August, optional)
Labour Day — September 7
Thanksgiving Day — October 12
Christmas Day — December 25

Ontario's Civic Holiday is not a statutory holiday

The August Civic Holiday (also known as Simcoe Day in Toronto) is widely observed in Ontario, but it is not a legislated statutory holiday under the Ontario Employment Standards Act. Employers are not legally required to provide it as a paid day off. However, many do — check your employment contracts and company policy.

Ontario does not legislate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation or Remembrance Day as statutory holidays for provincially regulated employees.

Quebec

Quebec recognizes eight statutory holidays (called "jours feries" under the Act respecting labour standards):

New Year's Day — January 1
Good Friday or Easter Monday — April 3 or April 6 (employer's choice)
National Patriots' Day — May 18 (Monday before May 25)
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec National Holiday) — June 24
Canada Day — July 1
Labour Day — September 7
Thanksgiving Day — October 12
Christmas Day — December 25

Quebec does not observe Family Day, Victoria Day by that name (it is National Patriots' Day), or Remembrance Day as statutory holidays. Notably, Quebec is the only province that observes Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, and it replaces Victoria Day with National Patriots' Day.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan recognizes ten statutory holidays:

New Year's Day — January 1
Family Day — February 16 (third Monday of February)
Good Friday — April 3
Victoria Day — May 18
Canada Day — July 1
Saskatchewan Day — August 3 (first Monday of August)
Labour Day — September 7
Thanksgiving Day — October 12
Remembrance Day — November 11
Christmas Day — December 25

Atlantic Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador

The Atlantic provinces share a similar holiday structure but have some notable differences.

New Brunswick recognizes eight statutory holidays, including New Brunswick Day (August 3) and Remembrance Day. New Brunswick also observes Family Day on the third Monday of February.

Nova Scotia recognizes six paid holidays under its Labour Standards Code — fewer than most provinces. Nova Scotia observes Heritage Day on the third Monday of February rather than Family Day, and does not legislate as many holidays as other provinces.

Prince Edward Island recognizes seven statutory holidays, including Islander Day on the third Monday of February (PEI's version of Family Day) and Remembrance Day.

Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes six statutory holidays under its Labour Standards Act. Newfoundland does not observe Family Day but does observe Memorial Day (July 1, which coincides with Canada Day) and St. Patrick's Day, though the latter is not a paid statutory holiday for most workers.

Key Differences to Watch

Family Day: Same Concept, Different Dates and Names

Family Day is observed on the third Monday of February in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI (as Islander Day), and Saskatchewan. Manitoba observes Louis Riel Day on the same date. Nova Scotia observes Heritage Day on the same date.

Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador do not observe a February holiday.

7 names

for one holiday concept

Family Day, Louis Riel Day, Islander Day, Heritage Day — the third Monday of February goes by many names across Canada

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30 is a federal statutory holiday, but provincial adoption varies. British Columbia has adopted it as a provincial statutory holiday. Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon have also adopted it in some form. Other provinces, including Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, have not made it a statutory holiday for provincially regulated employees, though individual employers may choose to observe it.

This is a rapidly evolving area. Check your province's current legislation, as several provinces have introduced or are considering legislation to adopt it.

Civic Holiday in August

The first Monday of August is called different names — British Columbia Day, Saskatchewan Day, New Brunswick Day, Civic Holiday — and has different legal standing by province. In Ontario, it is widely observed but not legislated. If you have employees across multiple provinces, do not assume August is a statutory holiday everywhere.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day (November 11) is a federal statutory holiday but is not legislated as a statutory holiday in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, or Nova Scotia. Employers in those provinces are not legally required to provide it as a paid day off, though many do. In provinces where it is a statutory holiday, the standard holiday pay rules apply.

Employer Obligations: Statutory Holiday Pay

Across all provinces, the core obligation is the same: eligible employees are entitled to a paid day off on a statutory holiday. However, the details of calculating holiday pay differ by province.

General Rules

Eligible employees receive their regular wages for the statutory holiday, even if they do not work. Most provinces require the employee to have worked their last scheduled shift before and their first scheduled shift after the holiday to qualify, though exact qualifying rules vary.

Holiday pay calculation typically follows one of two models:

A flat day's pay at the employee's regular rate
An average of daily earnings over the preceding weeks (common in BC, Alberta, and other provinces)

Working on a statutory holiday entitles the employee to premium pay — typically time-and-a-half in addition to their regular holiday pay, or a substitute day off. The specific rules vary by province.

Check your province's specific formula

Do not assume that holiday pay is simply "one day's regular pay." Several provinces calculate statutory holiday pay based on an average of earnings over a defined period (such as the 30 days preceding the holiday), which can differ from a single day's regular rate — especially for employees with variable hours or commission-based pay.

Probationary Employees

Most provinces entitle employees to statutory holiday pay from their first day, regardless of probationary status. A few provinces have short qualifying periods (typically 30 days of employment). Never assume that new employees are ineligible — check your province's specific rules.

Managing Employees Across Multiple Provinces

If your team spans multiple provinces, holiday management becomes genuinely complicated. An employee in Ontario and an employee in British Columbia will have different statutory holidays, different pay calculations, and different qualifying rules — even if they do the same job for the same company.

Identify each employee work province

The employee holiday entitlement follows the employment standards legislation of the province where they work, not where the company is headquartered.

Map the holiday calendar by province

Create a master calendar showing all statutory holidays for every province where you have employees. Flag dates where provinces differ.

Configure your time-off system by jurisdiction

Your HR software should support province-specific holiday calendars. If it does not, you risk applying the wrong holidays to employees in different provinces.

Communicate clearly with your team

Publish the holiday schedule at the start of each year. Make sure employees know which holidays apply to them based on their province of work.

This is one of the areas where having a dedicated HR platform makes a meaningful difference. Manually tracking which holidays apply to which employees across five provinces is a recipe for errors. WalnutsHR lets you configure province-specific holiday calendars so the right holidays apply to the right people automatically.

For more on managing time off for distributed teams, see our guide on managing PTO for remote teams.

Common Mistakes Employers Make

Applying headquarters' holidays to all employees. If your company is based in Ontario but you have employees in BC, those BC employees are entitled to BC Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — even though Ontario does not legislate those holidays.

Assuming Civic Holiday is a statutory holiday. In Ontario, it is not. Many employers grant it by custom, which is fine, but do not confuse custom with obligation.

Forgetting to update calendars year over year. Holiday dates that fall on a Monday (like Family Day or Labour Day) shift every year. Fixed-date holidays (like Canada Day or Remembrance Day) fall on different days of the week each year, which may trigger substitute holiday rules.

Ignoring variable pay in holiday pay calculations. For employees with commissions, bonuses, or variable hours, calculating statutory holiday pay based only on base salary may result in underpayment.

If you are evaluating HR tools for Canadian compliance, see our guide on the best HR software for Canada for what to look for.

Plan Ahead

The easiest way to handle statutory holidays is to map out the full year in January. Publish the calendar to your entire team with province-specific notes. Configure your time-off system to reflect the correct holidays for each province. And review the calendar whenever you hire in a new province.

Canadian statutory holidays are manageable, but only if you treat them as a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction compliance question — not a one-size-fits-all calendar.

Need to manage statutory holidays across provinces without a spreadsheet? Check our pricing or get started free with WalnutsHR and configure province-specific holiday calendars in minutes.