Federal Holiday: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 

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September 30th, 2023, marks the third anniversary of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This annual event, also known as “Orange Sweater Day”, aims to pay tribute to survivors of the residential school system. Legally speaking, it’s also a holiday for employees of the federal public service and for federally-regulated workplaces. 

Who is affected?

September 30th is only a holiday for employees protected by the Canada Labour Code.   

If you work in one of the following sectors, you would normally be protected by the Canada Labour Code: 

  • the federal government and federal Crown corporations (for example, Canada Post), 
  • banks (except for caisses populaires), 
  • radio and television broadcasting, 
  • air transportation, including airlines, airports, aerodromes, and aircraft operations, 
  • port services, marine shipping, ferries, tunnels, canals, bridges, and pipelines that cross international or provincial borders, 
  • road transportation services, including trucks and buses, that cross provincial or international borders regularly, 
  • grain elevators, 
  • First Nations band councils, 
  • railways that cross provincial or international borders, 
  • telecommunications, such as telephone, Internet, telegraph, and cable systems, or 
  • uranium mining and processing and atomic energy. 

A paid holiday

You are normally entitled to be paid on this holiday, whether you work full-time or part-time.

To learn more about your pay during this holiday, or what happens if you have to work anyway, visit the website of the Government of Canada.

A holiday that falls on a Saturday 

This year, the Day for Truth and Reconciliation falls on a Saturday. You are still entitled to a paid day off, but it will fall on the working day before or after the holiday.  However, the right to a paid day off at another time does not apply to federal employees who benefit from at least 9 public holidays per year under a collective agreement.  

Employees protected by the Act Respecting Labour Standards

Most employees in Quebec are protected by the Act Respecting Labour Standards and, for them, September 30th is not a legal holiday. However, your employer is free to offer you paid holidays that are not required by law.

To learn more about public holidays and about the Act Respecting Labour Standards read our article Public Holidays.