There may be 365 days in a year, but that doesn’t mean you have to work all of them. Depending on the type of job you have, who your employer is, and where you live, you’ll have scheduled days off every week and public holidays to rest on.
As a whole, Canada observes a handful of statutory holidays. Further, each provincial and territorial government has several public holidays that allow eligible employees to take off.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Canada?
There are 104 weekend days (Saturdays and Sundays) in 2024. A standard 5-day workweek from Monday to Friday that excludes weekends leaves 262 working days. This is calculated by taking the total number of days in a year (366, since it’s a leap year) and subtracting the weekend days (366 – 104).
Canada recognizes 11 public holidays every year. Federally-regulated workers are not required to work on these days. Nor are many other employees across the country, although this depends on the province you live and work in. Some holidays fall on the same day every year, while others may be different.
If all federally-recognized public holidays do not fall on a weekend, that leaves the average number of working days a year in Canada at 251. Even if a holiday does fall on a weekend, workers will still get a day off. In this case, the holiday may be observed on the first weekday following the holiday.
What Are The Federal Paid Holidays In Canada?
In 2024, the 11 paid holidays in Canada are as follows:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Thanksgiving
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
Full-time employees within the federal employment sector are paid for all statutory holidays. A holiday that falls on a worker’s day of rest will be moved to the first scheduled working day after the day of rest. Casual or term employees working full-time hours are required to work the day right before or after a statutory holiday to qualify for holiday pay.
All Canadians, including federal employees and private sector employees, are entitled to paid time off on the following holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Christmas Day
The remaining statutory holidays may or may not be taken off, depending on the province or territory. Any days off will be stipulated in an employment contract.
Eligible workers are paid for all statutory holidays. When a holiday falls on a scheduled day off, the holiday will be moved to the first working day.
How Many Working Days In A Year In BC?
BC has 11 provincial statutory holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- BC Day
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
BC does not recognize Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, or Boxing Day as statutory holidays.
Taking the above statutory holidays into consideration, that leaves 251 working days a year in BC.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Employees in BC are paid statutory holiday pay when they’re not working on a statutory holiday. Statutory holiday pay is calculated by taking your total wages (not including overtime) and dividing it by the number of days worked (within the last 30 days).
If you do work on a statutory holiday, you can receive 1.5 times your regular pay for the number of hours worked plus the statutory holiday pay.
If you want, you can substitute the holiday for another day if your employer agrees.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Alberta?
Alberta recognizes nine days as public holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Alberta Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
There are 253 working days in Alberta when all public holidays and weekends are accounted for.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
If a holiday falls on a regular workday, employees who work on that day are entitled to their regular pay plus 1.5 times their pay rate multiplied by the hours worked. Or, they may be paid regular pay plus a future day off at their regular rate.
If the holiday falls on a day that is not considered a regular workday, employees who work on that day are entitled to their regular pay plus 1.5 times their pay rate.
Employees not working on the holiday are paid their average daily wage if the holiday falls on a regular workday. However, employees who do not work on a holiday that falls on a day that is not considered a regular workday are not eligible for holiday pay.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Saskatchewan?
There are 10 statutory holidays each year in Saskatchewan:
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Saskatchewan Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
There are 252 working days in Saskatchewan when all weekends and statutory holidays are taken into account.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a statutory holiday for federally-regulated employees and is not considered a public holiday under The Saskatchewan Employment Act. As such, employers in the province are not required to give this day off to provincially-regulated employees. Further, Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays in Saskatchewan.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
For most employees in the province, public holidays are paid days off. However, some employees might be required to work but will be paid a special holiday wage. Employees who work on a statutory holiday are paid 1.5 times their regular hourly wage plus a regular day’s pay.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Manitoba?
There are eight public holidays in Manitoba throughout the year:
- New Year’s Day
- Louis Riel Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
In 2024, there are 254 working days in Manitoba.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Most employees are paid general holiday pay for these days whether they work or not. However, employers are not required to pay employees holiday pay who do not work on Easter Sunday, National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and Boxing Day, as these are not considered public holidays in the province.
Employees who work on public holidays receive their regular holiday pay plus 1.5 times their wages for all hours worked.
Employees who regularly work the same number of hours every workday receive one average day’s pay as holiday pay. For employees whose work hours or pay rates vary, holiday pay is calculated at 5% of gross pay in the 4-week period immediately preceding the holiday.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Ontario?
Ontario has nine public holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
As such, there are 253 working days a year in Ontario.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Most eligible employees are entitled to take holidays off and be compensated with public holiday pay when the holiday falls on a working day. Otherwise, employees have the option to work on the holiday and be paid in one of two ways:
- Public holiday pay plus premium pay without a substitute day off
- Regular pay and receive another substitute holiday off, for which they’re paid public holiday pay
How Many Working Days In A Year In Quebec?
Quebec has eight public holidays a year, including the following:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday or Easter Monday (at the employer’s discretion)
- National Patriots’ Day
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
Taking these holidays into consideration, there are 254 working days in Quebec.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Remembrance Day and National Day of Truth and Reconciliation are not statutory holidays in Quebec. As such, employees are not required to be paid if they do not work on these days.
Employees in Quebec don’t usually work on statutory holidays. Anyone who must work on a statutory holiday is entitled to their regular pay for the day and may be entitled to either:
- A paid compensatory holiday, which must be taken within three weeks before or after the statutory holiday.
- An indemnity for the holiday.
How Many Working Days In A Year In New Brunswick?
The following 8 days are considered paid public holidays in New Brunswick:
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Canada Day
- New Brunswick Day
- Labour Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
In 2024, there are 254 working days in New Brunswick.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
All workers in New Brunswick are entitled to receive their regular day’s pay plus 1.5 times their regular pay rate for every hour worked on a paid public holiday. Qualified employees who don’t work on the public holiday are entitled to their regular day’s pay for that day.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Nova Scotia?
There are six paid holidays in Nova Scotia:
- New Year’s Day
- Nova Scotia Heritage Day (third Monday in February)
- Good Friday
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Christmas Day
As such there are 256 working days a year in Nova Scotia.
Under the Nova Scotia Labour Standards Code, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, and Natal Day are not paid holidays.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Eligible employees who are given the day off are paid a regular day’s pay for that holiday. If a holiday falls on an employee’s regular day off, they are given a different day off with pay.
Qualified employees who work on a holiday are paid holiday pay, which is equal a regular day’s pay plus 1.5 times the employee’s regular rate of pay for the hours worked.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Newfoundland and Labrador?
There are six paid holidays in Newfoundland and Labrador:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Memorial Day (Canada Day)
- Labour Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
There are 256 working days in the province. Easter Monday, Thanksgiving, and Boxing Day are not public holidays in Newfoundland and Labrador.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Employees who work on a paid public holiday are entitled to one of the following:
- Twice their regular pay rate for the hours worked on the holiday
- An extra day off with pay within 30 days of the holiday
- An extra paid vacation day
Employees that do not work on a public holiday may receive an average day’s pay if they are entitled to it.
How Many Working Days In A Year In PEI?
In PEI, there are eight paid public holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Islander Day
- Good Friday
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
There are 254 working days in PEI.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to one of the following:
- The regular pay for the day, plus, 1.5 times the regular pay rate, or the regular pay rate for the number of hours worked on the holiday, plus another paid day off.
- If an employee doesn’t work on the paid public holiday, they get a day off with pay on the working day right after the paid holiday, or on another agreed-upon day.
How Many Working Days In A Year In The Northwest Territories?
There are 11 paid holidays in the Northwest Territories:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- National Aboriginal Day
- Canada Day
- First Monday in August
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
The Northwest Territories has 251 working days in 2024.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Employees are entitled to paid time off on these holidays, whether or not they fall on a workday. If an employee has the day off on a holiday, they’re entitled to an average day’s pay.
If an employee works on a statutory holiday, the holiday pay is equal to 1.5 times their regular pay rate, plus an average days’ pay. Or, employees may take another day off in lieu of the holiday with pay.
How Many Working Days In A Year In Yukon?
In Yukon, there are 11 public holidays:
- New Years Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- National Aboriginal Day
- Canada Day
- Discovery Day
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
Taking these paid holidays into consideration, there are a total of 251 working days in Yukon.
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Employees who work on a holiday are entitled to either be paid an overtime rate for the holiday or be paid their regular rate for the hours worked plus another day off with pay. Employees who don’t work on the holiday are paid their regular pay rate. If the holiday falls on a worker’s day off, their holiday will take place on the first working day right after the holiday.
Given that there are 365 days in a year and 10 public holidays, that leaves 252 working days in Nunavut.
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Nunavut Day
- The first Monday in August
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
How Do Holidays Affect Pay?
Employees who work on a holiday are paid their regular day’s pay, plus 1.5 times the regular pay rate for all hours worked on that day. Alternatively, employees can opt to receive regular pay, plus another paid day off.
Employees who don’t work on a holiday are paid a regular day’s pay.
Final Thoughts
There are several variables that affect the exact number of working days a year you’ll be required to work. This includes the province or territory you live in and whether you’re paid hourly or are on a salary. Generally speaking, however, there are anywhere from 251 to 256 working days in 2024 when you account for all weekends and paid public holidays.
