Public Holidays in Canada 2027: A Practical Guide for Employers

August 21, 2026 • 14 min read •

By Kate Vodopian

Quick answer: Canada does not have one statutory holiday calendar that applies to every employee.

Employees in federally regulated workplaces have 10 general holidays in 2027. Most other employees follow the employment standards rules of the province or territory where they work.

This means holidays such as Family Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, the August Civic Holiday, Remembrance Day, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation do not apply in the same way across Canada.

Last reviewed: 21 August 2026.

If you manage employees in Canada, public holidays can look simple at first.

Then reality kicks in.

Some holidays apply across the country. Others only apply in certain provinces or territories. Some are general holidays for federally regulated workers but not for everyone else.

The name of the holiday can also change from one province to another.

That is why public holiday tracking becomes complicated so quickly.

The good news is that once you understand the basic structure, it becomes much easier to manage.

How Public Holidays Work in Canada

Public holidays in Canada are often called statutory holidays, general holidays, or simply stat holidays.

The rules are set at federal, provincial, and territorial level.

This creates three main groups.

1. Federally Regulated Workplaces

The Canada Labour Code applies to employees in federally regulated industries.

These include industries such as:

• banking;
• air transport;
• interprovincial road and rail transport;
• telecommunications;
• postal services;
• and some Crown corporations.

Employees covered by the Canada Labour Code have 10 general holidays.

2. The Federal Public Service

Federal public service employees may have additional designated paid holidays under their employment terms or collective agreement.

For example, many federal public servants receive Easter Monday and one provincial or civic holiday.

This is why a federal government office calendar can contain more dates than the Canada Labour Code list.

3. Provincially or Territorially Regulated Workplaces

Most private-sector employees follow the employment standards rules of the province or territory where they work.

That is the part that often catches employers out.

You might have one employee in Ontario, one in British Columbia, and one in Quebec. All three could have different public holiday entitlements during the same month.

Federal General Holidays in Canada for 2027

Employees covered by the Canada Labour Code are entitled to 10 general holidays.

When certain general holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday that is not a scheduled workday, the Canada Labour Code provides a paid holiday on a scheduled working day immediately before or after the holiday.

For Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2027, employers should confirm the substitute dates against the employee’s work schedule, workplace agreement, or collective agreement.

Do not assume that the same substitute dates will apply to every employee.

Federal Public Service Holidays Are Not the Same List

The federal public service commonly uses a longer list of designated paid holidays.

Depending on the employee’s agreement and location, this can include:

• Easter Monday;
• a provincial or civic holiday;
• Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day in Quebec;
• or another locally recognised holiday.

This does not mean these dates are general holidays for every employee working in a federally regulated private business.

For example, Easter Monday falls on Monday, March 29, 2027.

It may be a paid holiday for a federal public servant, but it is not one of the 10 general holidays guaranteed to all federally regulated employees under the Canada Labour Code.

The Detail That Matters: Federal Does Not Mean Universal

The word federal can be misleading.

A holiday may apply to:

• federal public servants;
• employees in federally regulated private businesses;
• employees in one province;
• or only employees covered by a particular agreement.

These groups are not interchangeable.

This is why using one generic Canadian holiday calendar can create problems.

The safer approach is to assign public holiday calendars based on:

• the employee’s work location;
• the legislation covering their workplace;
• and any employment contract or collective agreement that applies.

Important Provincial and Territorial Dates in 2027

The following dates often cause confusion for employers with teams in more than one part of Canada.

Family Day and Similar February Holidays

The third Monday in February falls on Monday, February 15, 2027.

The holiday has different names across Canada.

These are genuine public or general holidays where the relevant provincial employment standards rules apply.

However, there is no nationwide Family Day.

An employee in Ontario may be entitled to a paid public holiday on February 15, while an employee in Quebec may be working a normal day.

Quebec Public Holidays

Quebec has several important differences.

Good Friday or Easter Monday

In Quebec, the employer normally chooses whether the statutory holiday is:

• Good Friday — Friday, March 26, 2027; or
• Easter Monday — Monday, March 29, 2027.

Employers should make the chosen date clear to employees.

National Patriots’ Day

National Patriots’ Day falls on Monday, May 24, 2027.

It takes the place of Victoria Day in Quebec.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day

Quebec’s National Holiday, commonly called Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, falls on Thursday, June 24, 2027.

Special rules apply to this holiday. Employers with staff in Quebec should not treat it as an optional regional date.

Dates That Are Not Quebec Statutory Holidays

For provincially regulated employees in Quebec:

• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not a statutory holiday;
• Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday.

These dates can still apply to employees covered by the Canada Labour Code.

The August Civic Holiday

The first Monday in August falls on Monday, August 2, 2027.

This is another date where the rules differ sharply.

This is a good example of why the name shown on a calendar is not enough.

You also need to know whether the date creates a legal paid holiday entitlement for that employee.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation falls on Thursday, September 30, 2027.

It is one of the 10 general holidays for employees covered by the Canada Labour Code.

It is also a statutory or general holiday under the employment standards rules of some provinces and territories, including:

• British Columbia;
• Manitoba, where it is also called Orange Shirt Day;
• Prince Edward Island;
• Yukon;
• the Northwest Territories;
• and Nunavut.

It is not a provincial statutory holiday everywhere.

For example, Alberta lists it as an optional general holiday. Ontario and Quebec do not include it in their standard provincial public holiday lists.

Employers should therefore check the employee’s jurisdiction before adding September 30 to their holiday calendar.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day falls on Thursday, November 11, 2027.

It is a general holiday for federally regulated employees.

It is also a statutory or paid public holiday in several provinces and territories, including:

• Alberta;
• British Columbia;
• Saskatchewan;
• New Brunswick;
• Prince Edward Island;
• Newfoundland and Labrador;
• Yukon;
• the Northwest Territories;
• and Nunavut.

However, it is not treated as a standard public holiday everywhere.

Ontario does not include Remembrance Day in its nine Employment Standards Act public holidays.

Manitoba does not treat it as a general holiday, although separate operating and pay rules apply.

Nova Scotia deals with Remembrance Day under separate legislation.

Quebec does not treat it as a statutory holiday for provincially regulated workers.

Province and Territory Dates to Watch in 2027

This is not a complete statutory holiday calendar. It highlights regional dates that employers often miss.

Always check the full employment standards list for the employee’s province or territory.

A government employee calendar may contain more holidays than the minimum private-sector employment standards list.

What Employers Need to Watch

Holiday dates are only one part of the job.

Each jurisdiction can have different rules covering:

• who qualifies for public holiday pay;
• how holiday pay is calculated;
• what happens when the holiday falls on a normal day off;
• whether a substitute day must be provided;
• and how an employee must be paid if they work on the holiday.

The rules can be very different.

British Columbia

British Columbia normally requires an employee to have been employed for at least 30 calendar days and to have worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before the holiday, subject to exceptions.

Alberta

Alberta uses different eligibility rules.

Employees generally need to have worked for the same employer for at least 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday.

The calculation also depends on whether the holiday is a regular working day and whether the employee works.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan calculates public holiday pay using five percent of the employee’s wages earned in the 28 days before the holiday, excluding overtime.

Ontario

Ontario has its own public holiday pay formula and rules for employees who work on a public holiday or agree to take another day off.

The safe approach is simple:

Always check the employment standards rules for the location where the employee actually works.

Do not rely only on the location of your head office.

What Happens When a Holiday Falls on a Weekend?

Christmas Day falls on a Saturday in 2027.

Boxing Day falls on a Sunday.

This does not create one national substitute-date rule.

Depending on the jurisdiction and workplace, an employee may receive:

• the working day before the holiday;
• the next working day;
• another agreed paid day off;
• holiday pay;
• or holiday credit.

The correct treatment can also depend on whether the employee would normally work on Saturday or Sunday.

Do not load one set of Christmas substitute dates for every Canadian employee without checking the rules that apply to them.

Why Public Holidays Become an Admin Headache

Most small businesses do not struggle because the holiday rules are impossible.

They struggle because the rules are fragmented.

A spreadsheet may work when everyone is based in one province.

It becomes much harder when you have:

• employees in different provinces;
• remote staff working from several locations;
• different employment standards rules;
• different work schedules;
• and different substitute holiday arrangements.

That can lead to:

• incorrect holiday pay;
• employees receiving the wrong days off;
• inconsistent treatment;
• leave balances being calculated incorrectly;
• and unnecessary questions for managers and payroll.

None of that is a good use of anyone’s time.

A Simple Way to Manage Canadian Public Holidays

Keep one clear record of:

• where each employee normally works;
• whether the employee is federally or provincially regulated;
• which public holiday calendar applies;
• which substitute dates your company observes;
• and how public holidays interact with schedules and leave balances.

TimeOff.Management lets you create different public holiday calendars and assign them to the right employees.

This means your Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and federally regulated employees do not all need to share one unsuitable calendar.

Managers can then see public holidays alongside vacation, PTO, sick leave, and other absences in one place.

Start a 30-day free trial — no card needed.

Practical Checklist for Employers

• Identify the employee’s work location. This normally determines which provincial or territorial rules apply.
• Check whether the workplace is federally regulated. Do not assume that a national business is automatically covered by federal labour standards.
• Use separate holiday calendars. Avoid one generic Canadian calendar for a multi-province team.
• Confirm weekend substitutions. Christmas and Boxing Day need particular attention in 2027.
• Document your company policy. Explain which optional holidays your business recognises.
• Review pay rules. A day marked as a holiday can affect both time off and payroll.
• Update calendars early. Add the 2027 dates before employees begin booking annual leave.

Final Thought

Canada’s public holiday rules are manageable, but they are not something you want to guess.

The date itself is usually the easy part.

The harder question is whether the holiday applies to that employee, how they should be paid, and whether another day must be provided.

A clear holiday setup makes life much easier.

You reduce payroll mistakes. Employees know which days apply to them. Managers can plan staff cover without searching through several government websites.

Less admin. Fewer mistakes. No unnecessary confusion over who should be off and when.

FAQ

Is There One National Public Holiday Calendar for All Employees in Canada?

No.

Canada has federal general holidays, but provinces and territories also set their own employment standards rules.

Employees in different locations may have different public holiday entitlements.

How Many General Holidays Do Federally Regulated Employees Have in 2027?

Employees covered by the Canada Labour Code have 10 general holidays.

Federal public service employees may have additional designated paid holidays under their employment terms or collective agreement.

Is Easter Monday a Statutory Holiday in Canada?

Not for everyone.

Easter Monday falls on Monday, March 29, 2027.

It is commonly observed in the federal public service. In Quebec, an employer can choose Good Friday or Easter Monday as the statutory holiday.

It is not one of the 10 Canada Labour Code general holidays for all federally regulated employees.

Is Family Day Observed Everywhere in Canada?

No.

Family Day falls on Monday, February 15, 2027 where it applies.

Some provinces use a different name, such as Louis Riel Day, Islander Day, or Nova Scotia Heritage Day.

Other provinces do not have a February statutory holiday.

Is the Civic Holiday a Statutory Holiday?

It depends on the location.

Monday, August 2, 2027 is a statutory or public holiday in places such as British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan.

It is not one of Ontario’s nine Employment Standards Act public holidays. Alberta treats Heritage Day as optional.

Is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a Statutory Holiday Everywhere?

No.

It is a federal general holiday and a statutory holiday in some provinces and territories.

It is not a provincial statutory holiday in every part of Canada.

Is Remembrance Day a Statutory Holiday in Every Province?

No.

Remembrance Day is not included in Ontario’s standard public holiday list. Manitoba and Nova Scotia use separate rules.

It is a statutory or paid public holiday in several other provinces and territories.

What Happens When Christmas Falls on a Saturday in 2027?

The answer depends on the legislation, work schedule, and employment agreement that apply.

The employee may receive a substitute paid day, holiday pay, or another form of compensation.

Employers should not assume that every employee will observe the same substitute date.

What Should Employers Do?

Check the employment standards rules for the province or territory where the employee works.

Also check whether the workplace is federally regulated and whether an employment contract or collective agreement provides additional holidays.

Further Reading

• Government of Canada — Annual vacations and general holidays for federally regulated employees
• Government of Canada — Federal public service statutory holiday pay
• Ontario — Public holidays guide
• Alberta — General holidays
• British Columbia — Statutory holidays
• Quebec — Statutory holidays
• Manitoba — General holidays
• Saskatchewan — Public holidays
• New Brunswick — Paid public holidays
• Nova Scotia — Holiday and retail closing day charts
• Prince Edward Island — Paid holidays