June 24 and July 1 are official holidays with their own rules. Whether you work those days or are off, do you have a right to special pay?
St-Jean-Baptiste: special rules
Most workers get this holiday, even if they are not covered by the Act respecting labour standards. This holiday is known as a “statutory public holiday.” This means employers must pay you a special amount even if you don’t work that day.
This holiday has other special rules. For example, if you have to work that day and your employer offers you a paid holiday to make up for the day worked, you must take that day off right before or right after June 24.
For workers in Quebec covered by federal laws, you have a right to paid time off on June 24 only if your union agreement or work contract gives you this.
Canada Day: same rules as other public holidays
For July 1, even if you are off that day, you have a right to what is called holiday pay. If your employer asks you to work, you must be paid your regular salary, and get extra “compensation.” This compensation can either be money or an extra day off. To get this compensation, you must respect certain rules: you can’t be off work without your employer’s permission or without a good reason either on the day before or the day after the holiday. The same rules apply to full and part-time workers.
To know more about how holiday pay and other kinds of compensation are calculated, see our article Public Holidays.