Where is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Canada?

Whether or not Remembrance Day stat holiday legislation applies to your business depends on the province or territory in which you’re located. In many jurisdictions, Remembrance Day is a public holiday where qualifying employees receive the day off with pay; in others, it can be a typical working day where employees don’t receive general holiday pay.

What’s this day of significance?

Remembrance Day takes place annually on November 11 and is essentially a statutory holiday in every province and territory with the exception of Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia. However, there are separate provincial acts that govern Remembrance Day in both Manitoba and Nova Scotia (more on that below!). It’s also a federally-regulated statutory holiday.

If you're wondering about the legislation for Remembrance Day in your jurisdiction, we’ve broken down the details by province and territory…

Federal

As regulated in the Canada Labour Code, Remembrance Day is a general holiday for the federal government and federally-regulated workplaces. That means federally-regulated businesses (like banks and mail delivery services) are not operational on November 11. It’s important for Canadian employers to be aware of federal statutory holidays because they impact and change both their payroll processing and pay dates, regardless of the jurisdiction in which their business is located. This is because Payments Canada, the organization responsible for payment clearing and settlement is federally regulated and as such observes Remembrance Day.

When Remembrance Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday that’s a non-working day for a federal employee, the employee is entitled to a holiday with pay on the working day immediately preceding or following the general holiday.

Visit canada.ca/en/services/jobs/workplace/federally-regulated-industries for a list of federally-regulated industries and workplaces.

British Columbia (BC)

Remembrance Day is one of the statutory holidays in British Columbia (BC). Qualifying employees receive the day off with holiday pay whether they work on Remembrance Day or not. Employers and employees may agree (in writing) to substitute another day for Remembrance Day, and the substitute day must be treated the same as the statutory holiday.

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

Alberta

In Alberta, Remembrance Day is a general holiday. Qualifying employees are to be paid for working on or in lieu of this day. For more info on general holidays in the province, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-general-holidays#jumplinks-2.

Manitoba

As mentioned above, Remembrance Day is not a general holiday in Manitoba; however, the province has separate legislation that governs this day called the Remembrance Day Act.

According to the province’s website, “most industries in Manitoba are not allowed to operate on November 11” (see the Act for exceptions). The legislation prohibits most retail businesses from operating between 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., although there are exceptions for professional health and veterinary services, among others (see the Act for exceptions). Retail businesses are permitted to operate after 1p.m., and whether or not retail businesses close for the entire day is at the employers' discretion.

According to the province’s website, “while it is a common practice for employers to pay employees who do not work on Remembrance Day, it is not a requirement.” There are also additional legislative parameters for paying employees who work on Remembrance Day: employees receive 1.5 times their regular wage for half the work day and those who work more than half their typical hours are paid 1.5 times their regular wage for all hours worked in additional to a regular day’s pay.

Manitoba employers should also be aware that they can’t substitute another day off in lieu of November 11. “Remembrance Day is November 11 and the rules must always be followed on that day,” reads the province’s website. “Unlike general holidays, Remembrance Day cannot be substituted for another day.”

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

Ontario

Under the Employment Standards Act, employers in Ontario aren’t required to give their employees a day off for Remembrance Day and it is not a public holiday. However, according to the province’s website, some employers elect to give their employees a holiday on November 11. For more information on public holidays in Ontario, visit: https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/public-holidays.

Québec

Remembrance Day is not a paid statutory holiday in Québec. For more info on the province’s stat holidays, visit: https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-conditions/leave/statutory-holidays/list-paid-statutory-holidays.

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Remembrance Day is a paid public holiday. If the business is operational Monday through Friday and November 11 lands on a Saturday or Sunday, qualifying employees of those businesses receive the following business day (Monday) off in lieu, or a day mutually agreed upon by the employee and employer. For more info on public holidays in the province, visit: https://www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/files/Publications_Labour_Relations_At_Work_Updates_October-2022.pdf.

New Brunswick

Remembrance Day is a paid public holiday in New Brunswick. 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

Remembrance Day is not a paid holiday in Nova Scotia; however, the province has separate legislation for Remembrance Day called the Remembrance Day Act. According to the province’s website, “the Act includes rules which prohibit some businesses from operating on November 11, it includes rules about holiday pay for certain employees who work on that day, and it also exempts certain businesses from the rules altogether.” Under the Act, most grocery stores, box stores, and retail malls must close, and there are specific exceptions that outline which retail businesses can operate. There are also specific exemptions for non-retail businesses, trades and professions to allow them to perform certain functions on this day. For more information on the Remembrance Day Act in Nova Scotia, visit: https://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/remembrance.asp. For more information on paid public holidays in the province, visit: https://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/holidaychart.asp.

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

Remembrance Day is a paid holiday in Prince Edward Island. Qualifying employees receive the day off with holiday pay if it's a regular working day. When November 11 falls on a day that’s a non-working day for the employee, the employer must grant the employee a holiday with pay on either a working day immediately following the paid holiday, the day immediately following the employee's vacation, or on another day agreed upon by the employer and employee before the employee's next vacation.

For more information about statutory holiday legislation for Prince Edward Island, visit: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/workforce-advanced-learning-and-population/paid-holidays.

Yukon

Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday in the Yukon. Qualifying employees receive the day off with holiday pay if it falls on a regular working day. If Remembrance Day falls on the employee's day off, the first working day immediately following the holiday is when it's observed.

If your employees are looking for more information on statutory holidays in the Yukon, visit: https://yukon.ca/en/find-yukon-statutory-holiday.

Northwest Territories

Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories. Qualifying employees receive the day off with holiday pay if it's a regular working day. As an alternative, the employer may transfer the holiday to another day, giving the employee a day off with pay. For more information on the territory’s statutory holidays, visit: https://my.hr.gov.nt.ca/employees/leave-time/statutory-holidays.

Nunavut

Remembrance Day is a general holiday in Nunavut, and as such, eligible employees are to be paid according to the Labour Standards Act. For more information on general holidays in Nunavut, visit: https://www.nu-lsco.ca/faq-s.

More info on statutory holidays in Canada

To stay informed on all statutory holidays across the country, download a free copy of the Payworks Payroll Guide: https://www.payworks.ca/landing-pages/campaigns/payroll-guide.