Labour Day (Canada)
Labour Day (French: Fête du Travail) is a statutory public holiday in Canada that occurs on the first Monday in September. It is one of several Labour Day celebrations that occur in countries around the world. The Canadian celebration of Labour Day occurs on the same day each year as Labor Day in the United States.[1]
Labour Day
Fête du Travail
Canada
First Monday in September
September 4
September 2
September 1
September 7
Annual
1894
- Labor Day (US)
- Labour Day (worldwide)
Traditions[edit]
An old-fashioned tradition in Canada and the United States frowns upon the wearing of white after Labour Day. Explanations for this tradition vary; the most common is that white is a summer colour and Labour Day unofficially marks the end of summer. The rule may have been intended as a status symbol for new members of the upper and middle classes in the late 19th and early 20th century.[4]
A Labour Day tradition in Atlantic Canada is the Wharf Rat Rally in Digby, Nova Scotia, while the rest of Canada watches the Labour Day Classic, a Canadian Football League event where rivals like Calgary Stampeders & Edmonton Elks, Hamilton Tiger-Cats & Toronto Argonauts (except in the 2011 and 2013 seasons, due to scheduling conflicts), and Saskatchewan Roughriders & Winnipeg Blue Bombers play on Labour Day weekend. Before the ending of the Ottawa Renegades after the 2005 season, that team played the nearby Montreal Alouettes on Labour Day weekend. Since the 2014 CFL season, when the Ottawa Redblacks began to play, the Montreal–Ottawa Labour Day tradition has once again been observed. Likewise, Ontario University Athletics has a long-established tradition to play university football on Labour Day.
There is an annual Labour Day parade in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland. The centennial anniversary in 2020 was replaced with an online ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[5][6]
In Ontario, Labour Day is a public holiday where workers can take the day off or receive public holiday pay.[7]