Canada — Time & Holidays
Canada spans six time zones from Newfoundland (UTC−3:30) to the Pacific (UTC−8), and most regions observe daylight saving. The clock below shows Eastern Time (Toronto).
National & Public Holidays
| Date | Holiday | What it marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day Fixed | The start of the year. |
| Movable | Good Friday Movable | Part of the Easter weekend. |
| Mon before 25 May | Victoria Day Movable | Marks the sovereign's official birthday. |
| 1 July | Canada Day Fixed | The confederation of Canada in 1867. |
| 1st Mon Sep | Labour Day Movable | Honours workers. |
| 2nd Mon Oct | Thanksgiving Movable | A harvest day of gratitude. |
| 11 November | Remembrance Day Fixed | Honours those who served in war. |
| 25 December | Christmas Day Fixed | The principal winter holiday. |
| 26 December | Boxing Day Fixed | The day after Christmas. |
Time and holidays in Canada
Canada is the second-largest country on Earth, and its breadth shows in its clocks: six time zones run from Newfoundland, with its unusual half-hour offset of UTC−3:30, across the Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific zones to the west coast at UTC−8. Most of the country observes daylight saving, moving clocks forward in March and back in November in step with the United States, though a few areas such as most of Saskatchewan stay on standard time all year. The live clock on this page shows Eastern Time, the zone of Toronto and Ottawa, as a representative example.
National and seasonal holidays
Canada Day on the first of July is the centrepiece of the civic year, celebrating confederation in 1867 with fireworks, parades and the maple-leaf flag everywhere. Other statutory holidays are shared across the country, although some are observed only in certain provinces. Victoria Day, on the Monday before the twenty-fifth of May, opens the unofficial start of summer; Labour Day on the first Monday of September marks its close; and Canadian Thanksgiving, on the second Monday of October, falls earlier than its American counterpart, reflecting the country's earlier harvest. Remembrance Day on the eleventh of November honours those who served in war. Because Canada stretches across so many zones and most of it changes its clocks twice a year, the live clock and time-zone converter are useful for lining up a moment in, say, Vancouver with one in Halifax or anywhere overseas.