Remembrance Day 2026: where it is a paid holiday

Updated Oct. 23, 2026

Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and it is a paid general holiday in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and federally regulated workplaces. It is not a paid statutory holiday in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or Nova Scotia.

Whether a worker gets the day off with pay depends on where the employer is regulated and on eligibility rules that differ by jurisdiction. The Government of Canada’s Canada Labour Code lists Remembrance Day among the general holidays for federally regulated employers, such as banks, airlines, telecommunications companies and Crown corporations. That applies in every province, including those where provincial law does not treat the day as a holiday.

In British Columbia, the provincial government lists Remembrance Day as a statutory holiday and says employees are paid for it if they qualify. Alberta’s general holidays page lists it among nine general holidays. Most Alberta employees must have worked for the same employer for at least 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday to be entitled to pay.

Saskatchewan’s list of public holidays shows Remembrance Day on Nov. 11 among 10 public holidays, which the province said are days off with pay for most employees. The province also said that when Remembrance Day falls on a Sunday in places where businesses are normally closed that day, the following Monday is observed.

New Brunswick’s employment standards page lists Remembrance Day among eight paid public holidays. To qualify, an employee must have been employed for at least 90 calendar days in the 12 months before the holiday. Qualifying employees who work the day are paid one and a half times their regular wage rate.

Prince Edward Island’s paid holidays page says the Employment Standards Act gives qualifying employees eight holidays with pay, including Remembrance Day. An employee who works on a paid holiday must receive either 1.5 times their regular wage or another arrangement set out by the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Labour Standards Act includes Remembrance Day in its definition of a public holiday and requires employers to pay wages for it even if no work is performed. Some exclusions apply, including for employees in their first 30 days of employment.

In the territories, Yukon’s statutory holiday list for 2026 includes Remembrance Day on Nov. 11, with pay for employees who have been employed for 30 calendar days. The Northwest Territories’ employment standards FAQ lists Remembrance Day among 11 statutory holidays. Eligible employees must have worked for the employer for 30 days in the previous 12 months.

Ontario does not require the day off. The Ontario government’s guide to the Employment Standards Act says some employers give Remembrance Day as a holiday, but the employer is not required to do so. Quebec’s labour standards board says the day is not a statutory holiday in the province, except for workers covered by the Canada Labour Code.

Manitoba does not treat it as a general holiday either, but its general holidays fact sheet says retail businesses cannot be open between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Remembrance Day. Nova Scotia’s labour and advanced education department says the day is not a general paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code and is covered by the province’s Remembrance Day Act. Employees who work that day and meet certain pay requirements may be entitled to another day off with pay.

Canada Labour Code coverage, collective agreements and individual employment contracts can give workers more than the provincial minimum. Nunavut’s rules could not be confirmed from an official page for this article. Workers should confirm their entitlement with their employer, union or provincial labour standards office.

Canada News Media has also published guides on how to wear a poppy, TSX holidays in 2026 and Christmas and Boxing Day stat holidays by province.

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Sources: Canada Labour Code, Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec (CNESST), Manitoba and Nova Scotia government employment standards pages.