If you’re checking Canada public holidays 2024, start with one rule: there was no single paid-holiday list that applied to every Canadian worker. Federal labour standards, provincial laws, territorial rules, and workplace agreements all affected which days counted as paid holidays.
Quick answer: Canada’s 2024 holiday calendar included nationwide dates such as New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Christmas Day. Other dates depended on the province, territory, sector, or employer. Federally regulated employees had 10 general holidays, while provincial rules created different paid-holiday calendars across the country.
Canada Public Holidays 2024: Key Dates at a Glance
The table below shows the main federal, provincial, and territorial holiday dates that shaped the 2024 calendar.
| Date | Day | Holiday or 2024 note |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Monday | New Year’s Day |
| February 19 | Monday | Family Day in several provinces; Louis Riel Day in Manitoba; Heritage Day in Nova Scotia; Islander Day in PEI |
| March 29 | Friday | Good Friday |
| April 1 | Monday | Easter Monday in the federal public service and certain workplaces; Quebec employers may choose it instead of Good Friday |
| May 20 | Monday | Victoria Day; National Patriots’ Day in Quebec |
| June 21 | Friday | National Indigenous Peoples Day; a statutory/general holiday in the NWT and Yukon |
| June 24 | Monday | Quebec National Holiday; June Holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador’s public-service calendar |
| July 1 | Monday | Canada Day; Memorial Day is also observed in Newfoundland and Labrador |
| July 9 | Tuesday | Nunavut Day |
| August 5 | Monday | Several provincial or civic observances, including BC Day, Saskatchewan Day, and New Brunswick Day |
| August 19 | Monday | Discovery Day in Yukon |
| September 2 | Monday | Labour Day |
| September 30 | Monday | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with legal status varying outside federal jurisdiction |
| October 14 | Monday | Thanksgiving |
| November 11 | Monday | Remembrance Day, with provincial differences |
| December 25 | Wednesday | Christmas Day |
| December 26 | Thursday | Boxing Day, with entitlement varying by jurisdiction |
Calendar dates and regional observances are reflected in national 2024 holiday listings. Legal entitlement to a paid day off depends on the employment rules that apply to the worker.
Key takeaways
- Canada had several widely observed holidays in 2024, but paid-day rules were not identical nationwide.
- Federally regulated employees had 10 general holidays under federal labour standards.
- Easter Monday was not one of those 10 federal general holidays, although the federal public service recognizes it.
- September 30 did not have the same statutory status in every province.
- Remembrance Day and Boxing Day also varied by jurisdiction.
- Many 2024 holidays landed on a Monday or Friday, creating useful long weekends.
Federal General Holidays vs. Provincial Stat Holidays
For employees covered by federal labour standards, the Canada Labour Code framework recognizes 10 general holidays. Employment and Social Development Canada lists all 10 of those days and the holiday pay owed for each in its guide to general holidays for federally regulated employees.
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
These rules generally apply to employees in federally regulated industries, such as interprovincial transportation, banks, telecommunications, and certain federal Crown corporations.
That list should not be confused with the holiday schedule for the federal public service. Federal public-service employees may also have designated paid holidays such as Easter Monday and a provincial or civic holiday, depending on the applicable terms. This distinction explains why two people living in the same city could have different holiday calendars.
What Does “Public Holiday” Mean in Canada?
The phrase “public holiday” can describe several different things. They do not always create the same employment rights.
A statutory or general holiday
A statutory or general holiday is recognized under the employment law governing a worker. Eligible employees may receive holiday pay, a day off, or another entitlement set by that law.
A government or public-service holiday
Government workers can have paid holidays established by legislation, collective agreements, or public-service schedules. These dates can go beyond the minimum holidays required for private-sector workers.
A retail closing day
A province may require certain stores or businesses to close on a date without making it a paid statutory holiday for every employee. New Brunswick shows the difference clearly. Its employment standards identify eight paid public holidays, while separate rules prescribe additional retail closing days.
Nova Scotia provides another example. Its labour standards identify six paid holidays. Thanksgiving and Boxing Day can affect retail operations even though they are not on the same paid holiday list. When checking an old calendar, ask what the date meant for your job, not just whether the holiday name appeared on it.
Provincial and Territorial Differences That Mattered in 2024
The biggest source of confusion is that provincial holiday rules are not interchangeable.
British Columbia
British Columbia’s 2024 statutory holiday schedule included Family Day, Victoria Day, BC Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving, and Remembrance Day alongside major national dates. Easter Monday and Boxing Day were not statutory holidays under the province’s employment standards rules. Our related guide, BC Stat Holidays, goes further into this.
Alberta and Saskatchewan
Alberta recognizes nine general holidays. Employers can choose to recognize additional optional holidays, including Easter Monday, Heritage Day, September 30, and Boxing Day.
Saskatchewan’s public-holiday list includes Saskatchewan Day and Remembrance Day. Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not included as public holidays under its employment standards list.
Ontario and Quebec
Ontario’s nine public holidays include Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, and Boxing Day. Remembrance Day and September 30 are not among the nine ESA public holidays.
Quebec follows a different pattern. Employers generally designate either Good Friday or Easter Monday as the statutory Easter holiday. Quebec also recognizes National Patriots’ Day and the June 24 National Holiday.
Manitoba
September 30 was especially important in Manitoba in 2024. Legislation established the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also called Orange Shirt Day in provincial communications, as a provincial statutory holiday. The Manitoba government stated that 2024 was the first year the day was observed as a provincial statutory holiday.
Atlantic Canada
New Brunswick recognizes Family Day, New Brunswick Day, and Remembrance Day among its paid public holidays. Its retail closing calendar includes some extra dates that do not create the same employment entitlement.
Nova Scotia includes Heritage Day among its paid holidays. Remembrance Day is governed separately, while Thanksgiving is not one of the province’s six paid general holidays under Labour Standards. Prince Edward Island’s employment standards legislation included Islander Day (September 30) and Remembrance Day among its paid holiday provisions in 2024.
Newfoundland and Labrador also featured several distinctive dates in its 2024 provincial public service calendar. These included St. Patrick’s Day, St. George’s Day, the June Holiday, Memorial Day, and Orangeman’s Day. That public-service schedule should not be treated as a universal private-sector entitlement.
Northern territories
The Northwest Territories recognizes dates that are not statutory holidays in most provinces. These include National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21. September 30 was also part of its statutory holiday framework by 2024.
Yukon’s general holiday calendar includes National Indigenous Peoples Day and Discovery Day, along with September 30 and other major dates. Nunavut Day fell on July 9 in 2024 and was a major territorial observance. The employment consequences can depend on the worker and workplace, so the relevant territorial rules should be checked separately.
Which 2024 Dates Created Long Weekends?
The 2024 calendar was favourable for long weekends because many major dates fell on Mondays or Fridays. Good Friday fell on Friday, March 29, creating a three-day weekend for workers who received the day off. Victoria Day followed on Monday, May 20, in jurisdictions where it applied.
Canada Day landed on Monday, July 1. Labour Day was Monday, September 2, while Thanksgiving fell on Monday, October 14. September 30 and November 11 were also Mondays. Those dates created long weekends for employees whose federal, provincial, territorial, or workplace rules recognized them as days off.
Thanksgiving created the busiest autumn break of the year, and LifeVoria’s October long weekend 2024 guide sets out how the day was treated across the provinces.
Christmas Day was on a Wednesday, and Boxing Day was on a Thursday. That arrangement did not automatically create a classic three-day weekend, but some workplaces closed for a longer Christmas break.
How to Check Whether a 2024 Holiday Was Paid
If you are reviewing an old pay period, employment record, or holiday schedule, use a three-part check.
- Identify your employment jurisdiction. Determine whether the job was federally regulated or covered by provincial or territorial employment standards.
- Check the rule that applied in 2024. Holiday laws change. A current list may not prove what applied two years earlier.
- Review workplace terms. A collective agreement, employment contract, or company policy can provide additional paid holidays beyond the legal minimum.
Eligibility rules also matter. Working immediately before or after a holiday, being scheduled to work on the holiday itself, or working on the holiday itself can affect pay under some employment standards systems.
For general lifestyle and calendar-related reading, you can browse the LifeVoria lifestyle section.
Your Next Step
Use this calendar as a starting point, then verify the employment rules that applied to your province, territory, or federally regulated workplace in 2024.
If you are checking holiday pay, rely on the relevant government employment standards source rather than a calendar alone. If you are planning around an old holiday date, business hours and service closures may have followed separate rules.
You can also explore more Canadian lifestyle resources on the LifeVoria homepage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Major dates included January 1, March 29, May 20, July 1, September 2, September 30, October 14, November 11, December 25, and December 26. Several regional holidays also appeared throughout the year. Their legal status depended on jurisdiction.
There were 10 general holidays under federal labour standards for federally regulated employees. They included Victoria Day, September 30, Remembrance Day, and Boxing Day.
Not nationwide. Easter Monday was not one of the 10 general holidays under the Canada Labour Code. The federal public service recognized it as a paid holiday. In Quebec, an employer can generally designate either Good Friday or Easter Monday for the Easter statutory holiday.
No. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal general holiday, but provincial treatment differs.
British Columbia and Manitoba recognized the day as a provincial statutory holiday in 2024. Ontario did not include it among its nine ESA public holidays, while Alberta treated it as an optional employer holiday rather than a general holiday.
No. It is a federal general holiday, and provinces such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick recognize it within their holiday systems.
Ontario and Quebec do not include it on their standard provincial public holiday lists. Nova Scotia handles Remembrance Day under separate legislation.
No. Boxing Day is a federal general holiday and one of Ontario’s public holidays. British Columbia and Saskatchewan do not list it as a statutory or public holiday under their standard employment rules.
Thanksgiving fell on Monday, October 14, 2024. The date created a three-day weekend for many workers, but paid holiday rights were not uniform across all provinces. Provincial rules, rather than a single national standard, decided who was paid for the day.
