Explained: Good Friday and Easter Monday stat holiday legislation

In Canada, not all employees are entitled to the same days off work – whether or not businesses are closed for a federal, provincial, or territorial statutory (stat) holiday depends on the jurisdiction in which they’re located. Navigating stat holiday legislation can be tricky, but Payworks is here to help!

Let’s start with some definitions:

Federal statutory holiday – a holiday legislated at the federal jurisdictional level that applies to employees of the federal government and federally-regulated workplaces. Visit https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/workplace/federally-regulated-industries.html for a list of federally-regulated industries and workplaces.

Provincial/territorial statutory holiday – a holiday legislated at the provincial or territorial jurisdictional level. Generally, eligible employees working within that province or territory are entitled to a day off with pay. However, not all provinces and territories across Canada recognize the same stat holidays and there are varying parameters for employee eligibility and general holiday pay rates.

With those definitions in mind, and recognizing that the legislation differs between jurisdictions, let’s dive into the legislation in Canada for two upcoming and important dates: Good Friday and Easter Monday.

What are these days of significance?

Unlike the holidays that always fall on the same calendar date, the date on which Easter Monday lands changes from year-to-year, as it always takes place on the Monday following Easter Sunday.

It’s important for Canadian businesses to know that Easter Monday is generally not a stat holiday and is a typical working day in most provinces and territories across Canada, but there are a few exceptions…

• Easter Monday is an optional provincial statutory holiday in the Province of Québec (it’s at the employer's discretion whether they close for Good Friday or Easter Monday).
• In the Province of Alberta, Easter Monday is an optional general holiday (it’s at the employer’s discretion whether or not their business will be open).

Similar to Easter Monday, Good Friday isn’t observed on the same date from year-to-year; rather, Good Friday takes place on the Friday prior to Easter Sunday.

Good Friday is a federal statutory holiday and is regulated under the Canada Labour Code. That means that this day is observed by employees of the federal government and federally-regulated workplaces.

Think that doesn’t apply to you? Think again! This is important for Canadian businesses to understand because Payments Canada – the organization responsible for payment clearing and settlement – is federally-regulated. As they observe Good Friday, this observance typically impacts both your business’ payroll processing and pay dates, regardless of the jurisdiction in which your business is located.

Good Friday is also a statutory holiday in nine provinces and three territories in Canada. In the Province of Québec, employers have the option to choose either Good Friday or Easter Monday as a statutory holiday or non-working day with pay. It’s important to note that in some jurisdictions there are actually exceptions to Good Friday business closure regulations, specifically for retailers.

Now let’s take a closer look at this legislation by province and territory…

British Columbia (BC)

Good Friday is one of BC’s 11 statutory holidays, while Easter Monday is not. Eligible employees are to be compensated for working on or in lieu of Good Friday. As an example, retailers in BC are permitted to operate on Good Friday as long as employees are paid according to the law.

For more information on statutory holidays in BC, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/statutory-holidays.

Alberta

Good Friday is one of the nine general holidays in Alberta and as such, eligible employees are to be paid for working on or in lieu of that day. As an example, retailers in the province are permitted to operate on Good Friday as long as employees are paid according to the law.

As mentioned above, Easter Monday is considered one of the province’s optional general holidays. For optional general holidays in Alberta, it’s at the employer’s discretion whether or not their business will be open; however, if they choose to recognize this day, the employment standard rules for holiday pay must be applied.

For more information on general holidays in Alberta, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-general-holidays#jumplinks-2.

Saskatchewan

Good Friday is one of Saskatchewan’s 10 public holidays, while Easter Monday is not. For public holidays like Good Friday, businesses can either close (with employees receiving the day off with pay) or remain open, with employees receiving pay for working a public holiday. As an example, retailers in the province are permitted to operate on Good Friday as long as employees are paid according to the law.

For more information on public holidays in the province, visit: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/employment-standards/public-statutory-holidays/list-of-saskatchewan-public-holidays.

Manitoba

Good Friday is one of Manitoba’s nine general holidays, while Easter Monday is not. Eligible employees receive general holiday pay whether or not they’re working on Good Friday. This generally means that most retailers are closed, but there could potentially be municipal-level exceptions.

For more information on general holidays in Manitoba, visit: https://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,gen-holidays-after-april-30-07,factsheet.html#q12.

Ontario

Good Friday is one of Ontario’s nine public holidays, while Easter Monday is not. Qualifying employees receive Good Friday off with paid public holiday pay. Generally, most retailers are closed, but there can be municipal-level exceptions.

For more information on public holidays in Ontario, visit: https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/public-holidays.

Québec

As mentioned above, employers in Québec have the option of choosing either Good Friday or Easter Monday as a paid statutory holiday. For whichever the employer chooses, eligible employees are entitled to receive the day off with an indemnity.

For more information about statutory holidays in Québec, visit: https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-conditions/leave/statutory-holidays/list-paid-statutory-holidays.

Newfoundland and Labrador

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are six public holidays and 12 paid holidays for provincial government employees. Good Friday is both a public holiday in the province and a paid holiday for government employees. Eligible employees are entitled to receive Good Friday off with paid public holiday pay. Employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to receive twice their regular hourly wage or an additional day off with pay within 30 days. Easter Monday is not recognized as either a public holiday or a paid holiday for government staff.

For more information on public holidays in Newfoundland, visit: https://www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/files/Publications_Labour_Relations_At_Work_Updates_October-2022.pdf. For more information on paid holidays for provincial government employees, visit: https://www.gov.nl.ca/exec/tbs/2024-paid-holidays-2/.

New Brunswick

Good Friday is one of New Brunswick’s eight paid public holidays, while Easter Monday is not. Eligible employees receive a regular day’s pay if they don’t work on Good Friday. If an eligible employee works on this day, they receive a regular day’s pay in addition to 1.5 times their regular wage for the hours worked.

For more information about paid public holidays in New Brunswick, visit: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/petl-epft/PDF/es/FactSheets/PublicHolidaysVacation.pdf.

Nova Scotia

Good Friday is one of the six paid holidays in Nova Scotia, while Easter Monday is not. Eligible employees are entitled to a paid holiday for Good Friday. It’s important for retailers in Nova Scotia to note that Good Friday (and Easter Sunday) are listed in the province’s Labour Standards Code as retail closing days (meaning that retail businesses are not permitted to operate on these days).

For more information on paid holidays in Nova Scotia, visit: https://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/holidaychart.asp.

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

Good Friday is one of PEI’s eight paid holidays, while Easter Monday is not. For more information on paid holidays in PEI, visit: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/workforce-advanced-learning-and-population/paid-holidays.

Yukon

Good Friday is one of Yukon’s 11 statutory holidays, while Easter Monday is not. Retailers are permitted to operate on Good Friday, as long as employees are paid according to the law. For more information on statutory holidays in Yukon, visit: https://yukon.ca/en/find-yukon-statutory-holiday.

Northwest Territories

Good Friday is one of the Northwest Territories’ 11 statutory holidays, while Easter Monday is not. Retailers are permitted to operate on Good Friday, as long as employees are paid according to the law. For more information on statutory holidays in the Northwest Territories, visit: https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/files/legislation/employment-standards/employment-standards.a.pdf.

Nunavut

There are 10 general holidays in Nunavut. Good Friday is one of them, while Easter Monday is not. Retailers are permitted to operate on these days, as long as employees are paid according to the law. For more information on public service holidays in Nunavut, visit: https://www.nunavutlegislation.ca/en/consolidated-law/labour-standards-act-official-consolidation.

Navigating statutory holiday legislation across jurisdictions in Canada is just one of the compliance elements for these days of significance – there are also varying parameters for employee eligibility and general holiday pay rates to consider in applying this legislation to your business’ payroll and time off systems. For help in navigating these legislative complexities, download our free Payroll Guide: a consolidated resource of Canadian regulatory information, including stat holidays and general holiday pay info: https://info.payworks.ca/en-ca/payroll-guide-for-canadian-business.