Public, statutory and general holidays
Statutory Holidays in Canada: Rules and Terminology
Learn how holiday names, eligibility tests, average-pay formulas, worked-holiday premiums and substitute days vary by jurisdiction.
Key point
“Statutory holiday,” “public holiday” and “general holiday” are jurisdiction-specific terms. The list of holidays and the payment formula are not uniform across Canada.
- Confirm the jurisdiction’s holiday list for the calendar year.
- Check eligibility and whether the date is a regular working day.
- Separate average-day pay, premium pay and substitute-day rights.
Different names, different statutes
Ontario commonly uses public holiday, Alberta uses general holiday and BC uses statutory holiday. Federal labour standards use general holiday. Similar labels do not mean the formulas or eligibility rules are identical.
Four questions determine the outcome
- Is the worker covered?
- Does the date qualify as a holiday under that system?
- Does the employee pass the eligibility tests?
- Did the employee work, and was a substitute day arranged?
Records to keep
Keep schedules, absences, days worked in the lookback period, included wages, holiday hours, premium rates and written substitute-day arrangements. Record the source and effective date used.
Related WageWise resources
Official sources
- Government of Canada: Federal vacation and general holidays
- BC statutory holidays
- Alberta general holidays
- Ontario public holidays
Rules can change and special occupations, agreements or facts can alter the result. Confirm the current official rule for the jurisdiction where the work is performed.