Victoria Day in Canada
Victoria Day is Canada’s annual celebration of the Sovereign’s birthday, a tradition that began with Queen Victoria and remains distinctively Canadian.[1] It falls on the Monday before May 25, but who is entitled to a paid day off depends on the jurisdiction and workplace.[1][2]
A Canadian holiday with royal roots
In 1845, the Legislature of the Province of Canada declared May 24, Queen Victoria’s birthday, a holiday. After her death in 1901, an act of Parliament established a legal holiday under the name Victoria Day. The holiday continued after Confederation and later became associated with celebrating the reigning Sovereign’s birthday in Canada.[1]
The date changed over time. An amendment to federal statutes in 1952 established Victoria Day on the Monday preceding May 25. A 2023 proclamation fixed Victoria Day as the date for celebrating the Sovereign’s birthday in Canada.[1]
The date and its legal status
Victoria Day falls on the Monday before May 25, which places it between May 18 and May 24. The date rule gives many people a Monday long weekend, though it does not mean every employee is entitled to the day off.[1][4]
For employees of federally regulated employers, Victoria Day is one of the general holidays that entitles eligible employees to a paid day off. Federal labour standards apply only to federally regulated businesses and industries; provincial and territorial rules govern many other workplaces. Victoria Day is a statutory holiday in all three territories and six of Canada’s ten provinces.[2][3][4]
Federal rules allow an employer and employees to substitute another day for a general holiday under specified conditions. If Victoria Day falls on a non-working day, a paid holiday may instead be added to annual vacation or granted at a time convenient to both employer and employee. These are federal rules; check the applicable provincial or territorial standards for other workplaces.[2]
A different observance in Quebec
In Quebec, the date is observed as National Patriots’ Day, or Journée nationale des patriotes. The day remembers Anglophone and Francophone activists who fought for democratic government in nineteenth-century Quebec, giving the holiday a regional historical meaning distinct from its royal observance elsewhere in Canada.[4]
Public observance and practical planning
At federal buildings and certain other federal establishments, the Royal Union Flag is flown alongside Canada’s National Flag from sunrise to sunset where there are at least two flagpoles. The National Flag takes precedence; when a site has only one pole, no extra pole is required for the occasion.[1]
Victoria Day does not automatically close every workplace: the Canada Labour Code does not prohibit working on a general holiday, and some federally regulated employees may work with the applicable holiday pay or substitute-day arrangements. Because employment rules vary by jurisdiction, do not assume that shops, offices, banks or transit services will all follow the same schedule; check local service information before travelling or making plans.[2][3]
Victoria Day: common questions
When is Victoria Day observed?
It is observed on the Monday before May 25, so the date falls between May 18 and May 24.[1]
Is Victoria Day a paid day off throughout Canada?
Not for every worker under one nationwide rule. It is a federal general holiday for employees of federally regulated employers, and provincial rules apply to many other workplaces. The holiday is statutory in all territories and six provinces.[2][3][4]
Do federal rules require a substitute day if Victoria Day falls on a non-working day?
For federally regulated employees, if Victoria Day falls on a non-working day, a paid holiday may be added to annual vacation or granted at a time convenient to both the employee and employer. Federal rules also permit agreed substitutions under specified conditions.[2]
Sources and references
Sources used for Victoria Day in Canada:
- Victoria Day- Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada
- Annual vacations and general holidays for employees working for federally regulated employers- Employment and Social Development Canada, Government of Canada
- Who is covered – Know the fact- Employment and Social Development Canada, Government of Canada
- Victoria Day, fête de la Reine – Writing Tips Plus- Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada