The passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022 has led many to ask whether a statutory holiday will be announced for the day of The Queen’s funeral on September 19, 2022.
Note: The vast majority of employers and employees in Canada are governed by provincial – not federal – employment laws. Provincial employers will need to check the announcements in each province in which they have employees and follow the provincial rules. Here is what we know so far:
- Federal: Federal government offices will be closed, but there will be no statutory holiday for federally-regulated businesses (which includes banks, airlines, and railways).[1]
- Alberta: No statutory holiday. Government offices and public schools will remain open.
- British Columbia: Government offices and public schools will be closed, but there will be no statutory holiday for any other employees.[2]
- Manitoba: Non-essential government services and offices will be closed, but public schools will remain open, and there will be no statutory holiday for any other employees.[3]
- New Brunswick: Government offices and public schools will be closed, but there will be no statutory holiday for any other employees.[4]
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Government offices and public schools will be closed, but there will be no statutory holiday for any other employees.[5]
- Nova Scotia: Government offices and public schools will be closed, but there will be no statutory holiday for any other employees.[6]
- Ontario: No statutory holiday. Government offices and public schools will remain open.
- Prince Edward Island: The day will be treated as a one-time statutory holiday under the Employment Standards Act, meaning that all businesses, government offices, and public schools will be closed except as permitted by the Act.[7]
- Québec: No statutory holiday. Government offices and public schools will remain open.
- Saskatchewan: No statutory holiday. Government offices and public schools will remain open.[8]
For provinces that do not declare a statutory holiday, the decision will be up to employers as to whether they provide their employees with a paid holiday on September 19. Employers that choose to operate as usual on Monday should be mindful of their obligations under human rights law, in particular any accommodations triggered by child care issues that may arise as a result of schools and child care centres being closed.
We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide updates as they arise.
For more information, please reach out to the authors Larysa Workewych and Adrian Miedema.
[1] This was confirmed in a Tweet published by the Federal Minister of Labour: https://twitter.com/SeamusORegan/status/1569754668015951876?cxt=HHwWiIDRubfj8cgrAAAA
[2] https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2020-2024/2022PREM0063-001379.htm
[3] https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=56277&posted=2022-09-13
[4] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2022.09.0503.html
[5] https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2022/exec/0913n11/
[6] https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220913002
[7] https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/day-of-mourning-to-be-marked-as-statutory-holiday-on-prince-edward-island
[8] https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2022/september/13/saskatchewan-proclaims-day-to-commemorate-queen-elizabeth-ii
