Leaves and Time Off in Canada: Holidays, Leaves & Your Rights

Understanding your rights to time off is essential for every Canadian worker. However, the rules for time off work can be challenging due to a mix of federal and provincial laws, as these regulations establish the minimum entitlements every employer must respect, whether an employee is planning a vacation, dealing with a health issue, or welcoming a new child.
These rules cover everything from your paid vacation days and stat holidays to longer leaves for personal or family matters, or even important options for mental health, like taking a stress leave. While there are basic rules for the whole country, the laws in your specific province are often what matter most.

In Canada, you earn more paid vacation time the longer you work for the same employer. Your minimum entitlement increases after key milestones, typically after your first year, five years, and ten years of service. This annual vacation is a separate entitlement from statutory holidays or other types of job-protected leave, like sick days or parental leave.

Under the federal Canada Labour Code, here are the minimum vacation entitlements you earn based on your years of service:

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/workplace/federal-labour-standards/vacations-holidays.html

Keep in mind, these are the federal minimums. Your province might have more generous rules. For example, Saskatchewan gives employees three weeks of vacation after just one year, and Quebec provides three weeks after three years.

A leave of absence is job-protected time away from work for a specific reason recognized by law. This means you have a legal right to take the time off without fear of losing your job. Both federal and provincial employment standards define which life events qualify, how long you can be away, and whether any portion of the leave is paid directly by your employer.

The biggest difference between leaves is whether they are paid or unpaid.

While most long-term leaves are unpaid by the employer, federal law now requires paid days for several shorter leaves. For federally regulated employees who meet the eligibility requirements (typically three months of continuous employment), these include:

• Medical Leave: Up to 10 days per year are paid.
• Leave for Victims of Family Violence: The first 5 days of a 10-day leave are paid.
• Personal Leave: The first 3 days of a 5-day leave are paid.
• Bereavement Leave: The first 3 days of a 10-day leave are paid.

For longer unpaid leaves, such as maternity, parental, or compassionate care, your income is typically supported by the federal Employment Insurance program, not your employer.

Here are the main categories of leave available to Canadian workers:

• Maternity and parental leave
• Sick leave and medical leave
• Bereavement leave
• Compassionate care and critical illness leave
• Personal leave and family responsibility leave
• Domestic violence and family violence leave
• Other protected leaves, such as jury duty, service in the military reserves, and for Indigenous employees to participate in traditional practices.

However, each province and territory has its own set of rules, and while the types of leave are similar, the specific details, like duration and pay, can be very different. The sections below outline the rules for each province and territory:

Statutory holidays are guaranteed paid days off set by law. The federal government recognizes 10, and each province adds its own.

The Canada Labour Code provides a paid day off for: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

These 10 holidays apply to workers in federally regulated industries such as banking, telecommunications, interprovincial transportation, and the federal public service.

While the federal list is a useful baseline, most Canadians work in provincially regulated jobs and must follow their province’s or territory’s holiday list instead. Each province has its own set of statutory holidays, which often includes most of the federal ones but with some key differences.

See the list below to understand the holidays recognized in each province and territory:

Stress leave in Canada is a term employees use constantly, but it does not exist as a standalone category in any Canadian labour statute. Workers who are unable to perform their duties because of stress, anxiety, burnout, or other mental health conditions access time off through two overlapping frameworks: employment standards (medical leave and sick leave) and human rights law (the duty to accommodate disabilities, including mental health conditions).

Federally, the 10 paid medical leave days can cover mental health appointments or short-term recovery. Longer absences may qualify for EI sickness benefits, which provide income support at 55% of insurable earnings.

The federal rules only apply to a small fraction of the Canadian workforce. Most employees are covered by their province’s employment standards, and the rules for medical leave are very different from place to place.

Whether you need a leave of absence for a major life event, stress leave to protect your mental health, or time to enjoy your well-deserved statutory holidays, these rights exist for a reason. They’re not just policies on paper; they’re there to ensure you can take care of yourself and your family without the fear of losing your job. The more you understand your entitlements, the better equipped you are to make informed decisions when it matters most.