Most of Canada gets Monday off—Quebec doesn't, as usual
August 3 is the Civic Holiday across most provinces, but Quebec observes only eight statutory holidays annually, fewer than most of Canada.
Sources · local media reports
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Most of Canada will get Monday, August 3 off for the Civic Holiday, but Quebec is skipping it once again—continuing a pattern that makes the province an outlier on the national calendar.
The Civic Holiday falls on the first Monday of August in most provinces, though it carries different names depending on where you live: British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day, Saskatchewan Day, Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, or Heritage Day in Alberta. Ontario calls it the Civic Holiday, with some cities adding their own spin—Toronto calls it Simcoe Day, Ottawa calls it Colonel By Day.
British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut treat it as a full statutory holiday with paid time off. Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Ontario treat it as a municipal or civic day, though employers aren't required to give staff the day off. Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Yukon don't observe it at all.
Quebec likely skips the Civic Holiday because it already has Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24, a culturally significant statutory holiday that fills a similar calendar role. The province also tends to build its holiday calendar around its own cultural and historical touchstones rather than following the national pattern. According to the CNESST, Quebec's labour standards body, the province recognizes only eight statutory holidays annually—fewer than Ontario's nine and well below British Columbia's 11.
Federally regulated employees in Quebec—those working for banks, airlines, and Canada Post—follow federal holiday rules instead, so some get extra days off that most other Quebecers don't.
By the numbers
How many statutory holidays does Quebec observe annually?
Quebec recognizes only eight statutory holidays annually, according to the CNESST, the province's labour standards body.
What is the Civic Holiday called in Toronto and Ottawa?
Toronto calls it Simcoe Day, while Ottawa calls it Colonel By Day.
Which provinces treat the Civic Holiday as a full statutory holiday with paid time off?
British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut treat the Civic Holiday as a full statutory holiday with paid time off.
