Tributes and flowers in memory of Queen Elizabeth in London on Sept. 13.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Some Canadians will have time off to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth on the day of her state funeral after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced that Sept. 19 will be a national holiday.
Federal employees will be given the coming Monday off as part of a National Day of Mourning. Those working in federally regulated industries, such as banks and telecommunications, are invited to join but aren’t required to shut down. All other workers will only have the day off if the province they’re employed in declares it a statutory holiday.
Here’s what we know so far:
What is a federal holiday and does it apply to me?
There are two types of holidays in Canada, which sometimes coincide: provincial and federal holidays. A federal holiday applies to industries regulated by the federal government such as banks, airlines, post offices and the federal public service.
There are approximately 319,000 public servants who will be granted a holiday on Monday. But most Canadians’ jobs are regulated by a provincial government rather than the federal one, and it’s up to provinces and territories to adapt federal statutory holidays.
How does declaring Monday a holiday affect Canadian businesses?
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business released a statement Tuesday urging provincial governments not to declare Monday a statutory paid holiday after the federal government’s announcement.
“With a six-day notice, it would be deeply unfair for small businesses and cost the economy billions,” Dan Kelly, president of CFIB, wrote in the statement.
On provincial holidays, private businesses need to either close down and give their employees a day off, or provide their employees with additional compensation if they stay open.
Has this been done before?
Canadians were previously given a day off to mourn King George VI’s death in 1952, the last time the country’s monarch passed away.
Is Sept. 19 a holiday in your province?
Not all provinces have yet announced whether they will recognize Sept. 19 as a provincial holiday.
Here are the ones that will observe the National Day of Mourning:
- Prince Edward Island
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Manitoba, for non-essential government services and offices, not for workers in provincially-regulated sectors
- British Columbia, for crown corporations, K-12 public schools and public post-secondary institutions
These provinces will not observe the holiday:
- Ontario
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
These provinces and territories are still undecided:
- Alberta
- Yukon
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
Memorials and ceremonies planned for Queen Elizabeth in Canada
In addition to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in England, commemoration ceremonies will also be held in Canada on Sept. 19.
In Ottawa, one will be held at Christ Church Cathedral. Attendees will include government officials, dignitaries and representatives of organizations with whom the Queen was closely connected, such as charities and military regiments. The ceremony will be broadcast live and available online so that all Canadians can participate.
The event will begin with a memorial parade in Ottawa, consisting of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police performing a gun salute of one round per year of life. The ceremony will end with a fly-past over Parliament Hill and Christ Church Cathedral by Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18s in the missing man formation.
Are any other countries declaring a holiday in honour of the Queen’s passing?
Britain has announced a bank holiday on the day of the Queen’s funeral. Schools will close and government employees will have the day off, but businesses won’t close or need to compensate their workers.
Australia will hold a one-off national public holiday to mark the death of the Queen on Sept. 22, coinciding with a memorial ceremony in Canberra.
New Zealand will also hold a one-time public holiday on Sept. 26.
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