Is Remembrance Day a statutory holiday? Where it is and where it is not
Reviewed 4 November 2026
It depends on the jurisdiction. Remembrance Day, November 11, is a general holiday under the Canada Labour Code and a listed holiday in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan; Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia word it differently. Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 and on Thursday, November 11, 2027.
Where it is a statutory holiday, and where it is not
Federal (Canada Labour Code): listed as a holiday
Remembrance Day is one of the Code’s general holidays, for federally regulated workplaces.
“general holiday means New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is observed on September 30, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and includes any day substituted for any such holiday under section 195;”
“Except as otherwise provided by this Division, when New Year’s Day, Canada Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Sunday or Saturday that is a non-working day, the employee is entitled to and shall be granted a holiday with pay on the working day immediately preceding or following the general holiday.”
Alberta: listed as a holiday
Alberta’s general holidays page lists Remembrance Day, November 11, among its 9 general holidays.
“Remembrance Day | November 11 | November 11 | November 11 | November 11”
“There are 9 general holidays, also referred to as statutory holidays, in Alberta but employers can choose to recognize additional days as holidays.”
British Columbia: listed as a holiday
The B.C. Employment Standards Act includes Remembrance Day in “statutory holiday”, and B.C.’s page prints Wednesday, November 11 for 2026 and Thursday, November 11 for 2027.
“"statutory holiday" means New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, British Columbia Day, Labour Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and any other holiday prescribed by regulation;”
Saskatchewan: listed as a holiday
The Saskatchewan Employment Act lists Remembrance Day among its public holidays.
“For the purposes of this Part, the following are public holidays in Saskatchewan: (a) New Year’s Day; (b) Family Day; (c) Good Friday; (d) Victoria Day; (e) Canada Day; (f) Saskatchewan Day; (g) Labour Day; (h) Thanksgiving Day; (i) Remembrance Day; (j) Christmas Day.”
“If the employer's establishment is normally open on Sunday, the public holiday pay rules apply to that Sunday. Where businesses are normally closed on Sunday, and New Year's Day, Christmas Day or Remembrance Day fall on a Sunday, the following Monday is observed as a public holiday. Canada Day is covered under Canada's Holidays Act. Currently, federal legislation states when July 1 falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed on Monday, July 2. When a public holiday falls on a Saturday, it is not observed on a different day.”
Ontario: not on its employment-standards holiday list, as the source words it
Remembrance Day is not among the nine public holidays in the Employment Standards Act, 2000, and Ontario’s guide says employers are not required to give it.
“While some employers give their employees a holiday on Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, the first Monday in August, or Remembrance Day, the employer is not required to do so under the ESA.”
Manitoba: not on its employment-standards holiday list, as the source words it
Manitoba’s fact sheet says Remembrance Day is not a general holiday and has its own rules.
“Employees who do not work on Easter Sunday, Terry Fox Day, and Boxing Day do not have to be paid because these are not general holidays. Although Remembrance Day is not a general holiday, there are restrictions for operating businesses and special requirements for paying employees who work that day.”
“Remembrance Day is not a general holiday. Retail businesses cannot be open between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Remembrance Day.”
Nova Scotia: not on its employment-standards holiday list, as the source words it
Nova Scotia’s page says Remembrance Day is not a general paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code and has its own Act.
“Remembrance Day is not a general paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code and it is not a designated closing day under the Retail Business Designated Day Closing Act. It has its own legislation, the Remembrance Day Act, which includes rules prohibiting many businesses from operating on November 11 and rules about holiday pay for employees who work on that day.”
Jurisdictions without a checked source
No answer is given for these jurisdictions.
- Quebec: Source not yet checked.
- New Brunswick: Source not yet checked.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Source not yet checked.
- Prince Edward Island: Source not yet checked.
- Yukon: Source not yet checked.
- Northwest Territories: Source not yet checked.
- Nunavut: Source not yet checked.
Frequently asked questions
Is Remembrance Day a statutory holiday in Canada?
It depends on the jurisdiction. The Canada Labour Code includes Remembrance Day in its definition of general holiday for federally regulated workplaces, and Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan list it. Ontario’s guide says the employer is not required to give it under the ESA, Manitoba’s fact sheet says it is not a general holiday, and Nova Scotia’s page says it is not a general paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code.
Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Ontario?
No. Ontario’s guide to the Employment Standards Act says that while some employers give a holiday on Remembrance Day, “the employer is not required to do so under the ESA”, and the ESA list of nine public holidays does not include it.
Is Remembrance Day a general holiday in Manitoba?
No. Manitoba’s General Holidays fact sheet says “Remembrance Day is not a general holiday”, and that retail businesses cannot be open between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Remembrance Day.
Is Remembrance Day a paid holiday in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia’s holiday pay page says Remembrance Day “is not a general paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code” and has its own legislation, the Remembrance Day Act, with rules about holiday pay for employees who work on that day.
What weekday is Remembrance Day in 2026 and 2027?
November 11 is Wednesday, November 11, 2026 in 2026 and Thursday, November 11, 2027 in 2027. B.C.’s statutory holidays page prints “Wednesday, November 11” for 2026 and “Thursday, November 11” for 2027.
What if Remembrance Day falls on a weekend?
The Canada Labour Code, section 193(2), gives a holiday with pay on the working day immediately preceding or following when Remembrance Day falls on a Sunday or Saturday that is a non-working day, and Saskatchewan’s page says the following Monday is observed where businesses are normally closed on Sunday. November 11 is a weekday in 2026 and 2027.
More Canada pages
- Statutory holidays 2027: federal and provincial
- Ontario public holidays 2027
- Alberta general holidays 2027
- B.C. statutory holidays 2027
- Manitoba general holidays 2027
- Is today a stat holiday? Checker
- Are banks open today? What the law says
- Canada Post holidays
- Family Day 2027
- U.S. bank holidays 2027 (a different country’s list)
Sources
- Canada Labour Code (Justice Laws), general holidays
- Canada.ca: Annual vacations and general holidays for employees of federally regulated employers
- Interpretation Act (Justice Laws), definition of “holiday”
- Ontario: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays
- Ontario: Employment Standards Act, 2000
- Alberta: Alberta general holidays
- B.C.: Statutory holidays, Internet Archive exact capture of 3 October 2026
- B.C.: Statutory holidays (original page; gave no usable response to plain curl)
- B.C.: Employment Standards Act (BC Laws)
- Manitoba: General Holidays fact sheet
- Saskatchewan: List of Saskatchewan Public Holidays
- Saskatchewan: The Saskatchewan Employment Act (section 2-30)
- Nova Scotia: Holiday Pay (Labour Standards Code)
- Bills of Exchange Act (Justice Laws)
- Canada Post: Canada Post holiday schedule
- Canada Post: Mail and parcel delivery hours and days
Reviewed 4 November 2026 against the sources in the list. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with the Government of Canada, any province or territory, or Canada Post; the sources in the list are the official sources, and any later change they publish overrides this site. Pages fetched with plain curl were retrieved on 3 November 2026 (UTC); the B.C. page is an Internet Archive exact capture of 3 October 2026.