Christmas & New Year’s Statutory Holidays in Canada

Written by PayTrak | Nov 17, 2025 8:36:26 PM

The winter holiday period from Christmas Day (Dec 25) through New Year’s Day (Jan 1) includes several statutory holidays across Canada. While Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are statutory holidays nationwide, Boxing Day (Dec 26) is recognized in some provinces and territories but not all.

Entitlement to paid public holiday leave, eligibility rules, and calculation methods are defined by each province or territory’s employment standards. Employers should review the requirements for every jurisdiction where they operate or where employees work remotely.

Download our Canadian Payroll Calendar here for more helpful information about statutory holidays in Canada.

Below is a summary of statutory designations and resources for the Christmas holiday period across Canada.

Stat Holiday Legislation for Remembrance Day

Don't forget to check out our Payroll Calendar for more stat holiday info. For questions related to statutory holiday pay, click here for more information.

Payroll Jurisdiction	Basic Details	Link to Additional Resources
Federal	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Stat holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Federally regulated employers general holidays
Alberta	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday Use this tool to see if an employee qualifies for holiday pay by clicking here.	Click here for employment standards – Alberta general holidays
British Columbia	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - British Columbia statutory holidays
Manitoba	Christmas Day – General holiday Boxing Day – Not a general holiday (but retail restrictions apply) New Year’s Day – General holiday	See the Remembrance Day fact sheet for more details.
New Brunswick	Christmas Day – Paid public holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Paid public holiday	Click here for employment standards - New Brunswick paid public holidays PDF
Newfoundland & Labrador	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Newfoundland & Labrador labour relations PDF
Northwest Territories	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Stat holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Northwest Territories statutory holidays
Nova Scotia	Christmas Day – Designated retail closing day / paid holiday Boxing Day – Not a paid holiday New Year’s Day – Designated retail closing day / paid holiday	Please refer to the Remembrance Day Holiday Act for further information.
Nunavut	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Stat holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Nunavut general holidays
Ontario	Christmas Day – Public holiday Boxing Day – Public holiday New Year's Day – Public holiday	Click here for employment standards - Ontario public holidays
Prince Edward Island	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Prince Edward Island paid holidays
Quebec	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Quebec paid holidays
Saskatchewan	Christmas Day – Public holiday Boxing Day – Not a public holiday New Year’s Day – Public holiday	Click here for employment standards - Saskatchewan paid holidays
Yukon	Christmas Day – Stat holiday Boxing Day – Not a statutory holiday New Year’s Day – Stat holiday	Click here for employment standards - Yukon statutory holiday

It’s important for employers to stay current with statutory holiday rules, especially during the busy year-end period. Each jurisdiction sets its own eligibility criteria for holiday pay, calculation methods, and rules for employees who work on a holiday.

Ensuring compliance helps:

Avoid payroll errors and retroactive corrections
Prevent employment standards complaints or penalties
Maintain accurate year-end and T4/RL-1 reporting

Employers are encouraged to review the rules for all regions where their employees work and update internal payroll processes accordingly.

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