Public holidays in Canada, 2020

How Canada public holidays work in 2020

Canada has five federal statutory holidays under the Canada Labour Code Part III that apply to federally regulated employers (banks, telecoms, interprovincial transport): New Year's Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, Christmas Day. Federal employees additionally observe four more including Victoria Day and Thanksgiving. Each province sets its own list, ranging from six in Newfoundland and Labrador to ten in some others. Quebec observes Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on 24 June, British Columbia observes Family Day on the third Monday in February, Alberta observes Heritage Day in August. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on 30 September, added in 2021, is federal but not provincial in most jurisdictions.

Working days in Canada

Federal jurisdiction defines a working day under the Canada Labour Code as any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or general holiday. Provincial Employment Standards Acts adopt the same pattern with their own holiday lists. The standard private-sector week is Monday to Friday, with banks operating Monday to Friday. The Federal Courts Rules section 6 rolls deadlines falling on a weekend or holiday to the next day on which the registry is open. Settlement of Canadian dollar transactions runs on the Lynx system operated by Payments Canada, which observes the federal statutory list since the federally regulated banks are the participants.

For people planning cross-border meetings, the practical move is to overlay Canada's calendar with the calendars of the other countries on your team. A week that looks completely clear from your end might be a national holiday on theirs. The compare tool above pairs two country calendars and highlights the overlapping closures, so you can spot the weeks where almost no one is at their desk before you put a launch on the board.