Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially declared September 19 a national holiday in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II's death. In addition to Canada's 10-day mourning period, a federal holiday will also fall on the day of the queen's funeral, which has many of us wondering...what will be open and closed on Monday?
Well, federal employees across Canada will, in fact, have the day off — but that's about it. While the federal holiday can be extended to workers in private and federally-regulated industries, many provinces aren't planning on closing much, if anything at all, Quebec included.
Service Canada branches will be closed on September 19. However, Service Canada stated that they are adjusting operations so that those who had pre-existing appointments will still be served at a later date on a priority basis.
\u201cSeptember 19, 2022 will be a holiday for federal government employees. It will be a day of mourning for the passing of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. \n\nFederally regulated employers are welcomed to follow suit, but they are not required to do so.\u201d— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@Seamus O'Regan Jr) 1663093652
Additionally, Canada's Minister of Labour Seamus O'Reagan said that other federally-regulated employers are welcome to take the day off or close for the day, but "they are not required to do so."
Canada Post has also indicated that they will not be in operation on September 19. "There will be no mail collection or delivery and our post offices will be closed on Monday, September 19. Those in franchise locations may be open during the host business’s hours," Canada Post tweeted out.
As for banks across Canada, they will be fully operational. Quebec is one province that will not be closing down at all (with the exception of Service Canada offices and Canada Post) but will still be holding a "day of mourning," in the wake of Queen Elizabeth's death.
This means that grocery stores, department stores, shopping malls, schools and other businesses, both small and big, will likely be unaffected by the holiday.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
