What the Act says

The National Holiday Act includes provisions concerning the National Holiday that protect the majority of Québec workers, whether they are full or part time.

National Holiday leave

June 24th is a statutory holiday with pay for all employees of Québec. The only requirement to take advantage of this leave is to be employed on the date of the statutory holiday.

If June 24th falls on a Sunday:

  • This same day is a day off with pay for an employee who ordinarily works on Sunday
  • June 25th becomes a day off with pay for an employee who does not ordinarily work on Sunday.

If the employee is absent without valid reason when he is required to work on June 24th, he will not be able to benefit from the advantages stipulated in the Act.

Compensatory leave

An employee who must work on June 24th due to the nature of the activities of the business that employs him is entitled to the wages for the day and the indemnity. But the employer may choose to grant him, instead of the indemnity, a compensatory leave on the working day before or after June 24th.

If the employee is on vacation on June 24th, he can have a compensatory leave on a date agreed upon with his employer.

indemnity
Sum of money paid to the employee either to compensate for prejudice or to compensate for a leave or certain disadvantages.
compensatory leave
Leave granted to the employee in place of the indemnity that was supposed to be paid for a paid leave by which the employee did not benefit.Note - It may happen that a compensatory leave is granted in the place of the payment of overtime worked; it must then be a condition of employment that is more advantageous for the employee in order to comply with the Act.
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Can my employer require that I work on June 24th?

June 24th is normally a day off for all employees. However, an employee may not have the day off due to the nature of the activities of the business for which he works. For example, hotels, restaurants and convenience stores remain open. Some factories where machines must keep running, foundries for instance, may also stay open.

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How to calculate the indemnity

The Commission des normes du travail puts at your disposal calculation tools which help establish the amounts to which an employee is entitled.

The calculation of the indemnity is different according to the employee’s remuneration method.

Calculation tools for the indemnity for an:

Examples of the calculation of the indemnity for full-time employees, those with an irregular schedule, those who were hired recently or those who work overtime.

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Leaves And Absences

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