Is there anything more Canadian than a long weekend? Well, maybe back bacon and maple syrup. Either way, the long weekend is pretty high up on the list. And no Canadian long weekend is complete without a conversation about inconsistency across the country when it comes to statutory holidays.

Here is a breakdown of various holidays across the country. Note that not all public holidays are paid, so be sure to check with your province’s labour ministry to confirm.

2015 holidays by province

How to pay statutory holidays

For each paid statutory holiday, employers must pay all of their salaried employees an amount equal to 1/20 of the employee’s gross wages, not including overtime, earned over the full four-week pay period leading up to the week in which the paid statutory holiday occurs.

Every employee is entitled to receive Public Holiday Pay: the amount based on the prior 4 weeks regular earnings divided by 20 then multiplied by 4%, and remember to include salaried employees

Most provinces pay an employee time and a half plus regular wages for working on a stat holiday.

My StartUp/CFIB partner Payworks has nicely summarized current holiday pay rates and annual vacation entitlements by province.

What if my employee has booked vacation and it falls on a stat holiday?

When a stat holiday occurs while an employee is taking regular vacation, your employee may be entitled to a substitute day off with holiday pay, unless they agree otherwise.

CFIB has a wealth of information on stat holidays, vacation, and how these apply to different provinces:

BC: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/2993-everything-you-need-to-know-about-statutory-holidays.html Alberta: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/3063-understanding-employment-standards-in-alberta.html#b Saskatchewan: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/7020-understanding-saskatchewan-employment-standards.html

Manitoba: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/7284-can-my-manitoba-small-business-observe-canada-day-on-another-day.html Ontario: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/338-public-holidays-fact-sheet-for-ontario.html Quebec: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/6857-how-do-i-pay-my-staff-for-paid-statutory-holidays.html New Brunswick: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/6424-calculating-statutory-holiday-pay-in-new-brunswick.html Nova Scotia: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/6431-understanding-statutory-holiday-pay-in-nova-scotia.html Prince Edward Island: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/2971-understand-employment-regulations-in-pei.html Newfoundland: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/6639-providing-paid-vacation-for-your-employees-in-newfoundland-and-labrador.html Northwest Territories: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/2365-understand-employment-regulations-in-nwt.html Yukon: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/2366-understand-employment-regulations-in-the-yukon.html