September 30th is now the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day aims to acknowledge and commemorate the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools for the survivors, their families, and communities.
It’s also a holiday for employees of the federal public service and federally- regulated workplaces.
Who is affected?
Employees protected by the Canada Labour Code now have an additional paid holiday.
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
- 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, consult the website of the Government of Canada.
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 consult our article Public Holidays.