Thousands of Canadian workers will start next week on a happy note with a well-deserved day off. But as in many cases, Quebec is the exception.
In most provinces, the third Monday of February is recognized as a statutory holiday, commonly known as Family Day. Observed in places like Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, it was introduced back in the 90s to provide a mid-winter break and encourage family time.
Meanwhile, other provinces also celebrate a long weekend, but under different names. Prince Edward Island celebrates Islander Day, Manitoba observes Louis Riel Day, and Nova Scotia calls it Heritage Day.
Regardless of the title, though, the holiday serves the same purpose: offering workers a much-needed break between New Year’s Day and Good Friday, which are more than three months apart this year.
But while much of the country enjoys a day to themselves, employees in Quebec continue business as usual. The province has never adopted Family Day or its regional equivalents.
But this holiday isn’t the only one that sets la belle province apart. Quebec’s approach to statutory holidays differs from the rest of Canada — not just in which holidays it observes, but also in what they’re called.
According to information from the Government of Canada’s website, Quebec observes just eight (five nationwide and three provincial) stat holidays per calendar year. For context, Ontario has nine while British Columbia leads the nation with 11.
Here’s a full breakdown:
Holidays observed in both Quebec and most of Canada:
✅ New Year’s Day (January 1) – Stat holiday in all provinces.
✅ Easter (March/April) – Good Friday is a paid holiday in most provinces. Some employers substitute it with Easter Monday.
✅ Victoria Day (Last Monday before May 25) – Called Journée nationale des patriotes in Quebec.
✅ Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24) – Quebec-only holiday (Fête nationale du Québec).
✅ Canada Day (July 1) – Recognized in Quebec, but widely known as Moving Day.
✅ Labour Day (1st Monday in September) – Stat holiday in all provinces.
✅ Thanksgiving (2nd Monday in October) – Optional holiday in Quebec but widely observed.
✅ Christmas Day (December 25) – Stat holiday in all provinces.
Holidays observed in most of Canada, but not in Quebec:
❌ Family Day (3rd Monday in February, varies by province) – Not observed in Quebec.
❌ Civic Holiday (1st Monday in August) – Optional in many provinces but not observed in Quebec.
❌ National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30) – Stat holiday in some provinces but not Quebec.
❌ Remembrance Day (November 11) – Observed as a stat holiday in some provinces but not Quebec.
❌ Boxing Day (December 26) – Stat holiday for federal workers, but not in Quebec.
That begs the question — why don’t Quebecers get Family Day?
Well, there’s no official government reason for why Quebec skips out on Family Day. It just never got on board when other provinces introduced it. But looking at Quebec’s history with holidays, it’s not really a surprise.
The province has a habit of doing its own thing when it comes to statutory holidays, especially patriotic ones.
Instead of Victoria Day, it celebrates Journée nationale des patriotes. Canada Day? In Quebec, it’s better known as Moving Day (as most leases end on June 30). Others like Remembrance Day and Truth and Reconciliation Day aren’t paid holidays for the majority of folks here either.
On the bright side, Quebec makes up for the missing holiday with its vacation policies. According to data from Indeed, the average Quebec worker gets three weeks of paid time off after five years of employment, which is faster than places like New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland (where it takes eight years or more). Only Saskatchewan does better, giving a minimum of three weeks right away.
Still, nobody would complain about an extra day off in February.
