Remembrance Day 2026: is Nov. 11 a holiday in your province?

Remembrance Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, is a paid statutory or general holiday in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador and the three territories, plus for federally regulated workers. It is not a paid holiday in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or Nova Scotia, though Manitoba and Nova Scotia have special closing rules.

Updated Oct. 22, 2026: Rewritten with a key facts table, pay rules, what is open and closed, the poppy campaign’s new 2026 dates and how to watch the national ceremony. Nunavut corrected to a general holiday under its Labour Standards Act.

Nov. 11 is one of the general holidays under the Canada Labour Code, so it applies everywhere to federally regulated workplaces such as banks, federal government offices and Canada Post. For everyone else, the answer comes from the employment standards law of your province or territory, and a separate set of retail laws decides whether stores may open.

Key facts: Remembrance Day 2026

Is Remembrance Day a statutory holiday in my province?

The table below uses each government’s own employment standards and retail closing pages, linked in the province notes that follow.

In the West, Remembrance Day is one of B.C.’s statutory holidays, one of Alberta’s general holidays and one of Saskatchewan’s public holidays. Saskatchewan said the day cannot be moved to another date without the province’s permission, which it grants only in exceptional circumstances.

Manitoba treats the day under its own Remembrance Day Act. Most industries may not operate, retail businesses must stay closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. unless they sell only listed goods and services such as prepared meals, health services and gasoline, and restaurants and hotels may open.

Ontario does not list Nov. 11 among its public holidays, and Quebec’s labour standards agency, the CNESST, lists it among days that are not statutory holidays. Employers in both provinces may give the day off but do not have to.

In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick lists it as a paid public holiday and a day of rest under its Days of Rest Act. Nova Scotia’s Remembrance Day Act closes most grocery stores, big box stores and malls. P.E.I.’s Retail Business Holidays Act and Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2026 shops closing notice close most retail as well.

In the North, the day is a general holiday under Yukon’s Employment Standards Act, according to the territory’s holiday pay fact sheet, a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories, and one of the general holidays listed in Nunavut’s Labour Standards Act, according to the Government of Nunavut.

Do I get paid if I work on Remembrance Day?

Where the day is a paid holiday, eligible employees get a day off with holiday pay, or premium pay if they work. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick pay 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked, on top of the holiday rules, and federally regulated employees who work a general holiday also get 1.5 times their rate plus holiday pay under the Canada Labour Code.

Manitoba does not require pay for people who do not work, but those who do work earn 1.5 times their wage, and the province said they also get a regular day’s pay if they work at least half a normal workday. Nova Scotia gives most employees who work Nov. 11, and who earned wages on at least 15 of the previous 30 days, a paid day off later. In Ontario and Quebec there is no holiday pay unless a contract or collective agreement provides it. Eligibility tests, such as minimum days worked, vary, so check the linked provincial page for your situation.

What is open and closed on Remembrance Day 2026?

Canada Post lists Remembrance Day on its holiday schedule, though post office counters inside other stores may follow their host store’s hours. Banks fall under federal labour law, but the law covers staff pay rather than branch hours, so call your branch.

Liquor retailers set their own hours within provincial law. In past years the LCBO has opened at noon on Nov. 11; it had not announced 2026 hours as of Oct. 22. In the four Atlantic provinces, the retail closing laws above also shape what can open. School closures differ even within a province, so check your board’s calendar.

What time is the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa?

The Royal Canadian Legion organizes the National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. As of Oct. 22, the Legion’s national ceremony page still described the 2025 event and had not posted a 2026 schedule. In 2025, the Legion said the ceremony started at about 10:30 a.m. ET, with two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., and that spectators were welcome.

The 2025 ceremony included a veterans’ parade, a 21-gun salute, the Last Post, a fly-past and wreath-laying, including one by the National Silver Cross Mother, and nearly 30,000 people attended, the Legion said. Many people place their poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier afterward. The 2026 National Silver Cross Mother had not been named as of Oct. 22.

How can I watch the Remembrance Day ceremony?

Last year national news networks carried the Ottawa ceremony live, and the Legion streamed it on its Facebook page, according to the Legion. Broadcast plans for 2026 have not been announced. Local ceremonies are held at cenotaphs and Legion branches across the country, and Veterans Affairs Canada keeps an events calendar for Veterans’ Week, which leads up to Nov. 11. Nov. 8 is Indigenous Veterans Day.

When is the two minutes of silence?

The two minutes of silence is held at 11 a.m. local time on Nov. 11. Many workplaces and stores that are open pause at that time, and the national ceremony in Ottawa is timed around it.

When does the 2026 poppy campaign start?

The Legion moved to fixed dates this year. “Beginning in 2026, the campaign will run each year from October 24 through November 11,” the Legion told its branches in a notice. Before 2026, the campaign started on the last Friday of October. Veterans Affairs Canada encourages Canadians to wear a poppy, attend a ceremony and thank a veteran.

For planning the rest of the season, see our 2027 statutory holidays by province, Christmas and Boxing Day 2026 rules, Halloween 2026 trick-or-treat times and Black Friday 2026 dates and your rights.

Frequently asked questions about Remembrance Day 2026

Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Ontario?

No. Remembrance Day is not one of Ontario’s public holidays under the Employment Standards Act, so employers do not have to give the day off or pay holiday pay. Federally regulated workers in Ontario, such as bank and federal employees, do get it as a general holiday.

Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Quebec?

No. The CNESST lists Nov. 11 among days that are not statutory holidays in Quebec. Only workers covered by the Canada Labour Code get it as a paid holiday there.

Are banks open on Remembrance Day 2026?

Banks are federally regulated and their employees get Nov. 11 as a general holiday, but branch hours are set by each bank. Check with your branch before you go.

Is there mail on Remembrance Day?

No. Canada Post lists Remembrance Day as a holiday and does not collect or deliver mail. Post office counters inside other stores may keep their host store’s hours.

What time is the two minutes of silence on Nov. 11?

The two minutes of silence is held at 11 a.m. local time. In Ottawa, the Legion said the 2025 national ceremony began at about 10:30 a.m. ET to mark the silence at 11 a.m.

When does the poppy campaign start in 2026?

The Royal Canadian Legion said its poppy campaign runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 11 every year starting in 2026, replacing the old start date of the last Friday in October.

Are stores open on Remembrance Day in Nova Scotia?

Most are not. Nova Scotia’s Remembrance Day Act closes most grocery stores, big box stores and malls, while stand-alone drug stores, service stations, restaurants, hotels and very small shops may open.

Sources: Canada.ca, federal general holidays; Royal Canadian Legion, national ceremony; Royal Canadian Legion, poppy campaign dates; Veterans Affairs Canada; Canada Post; B.C.; Alberta; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Ontario; CNESST; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; P.E.I.; Newfoundland and Labrador; Yukon; Northwest Territories; Nunavut.

Related: Free transit for veterans on Remembrance Day 2026; How to wear a poppy in Canada: 2026 dates and rules

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