View source for Victoria Day

{{Short description|Canadian public holiday}}
{{About|the public holiday in Canada|the holiday in parts of Scotland|Victoria Day (Scotland)|other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Victoria Day
| type          = required
| longtype      = Historical, cultural, nationalist
| image         = Victoria Day fireworks Toronto 2010.jpg
| caption       = Victoria Day fireworks display from [[Ontario Place]], Toronto, in 2010
| official_name = {{ubl|Victoria Day|{{langx|fr|link=no|Fête de la Reine}}}}
| nickname      = May Long Weekend, May Long, May Two-Four, May Run, Firecracker Day
| observedby    = Canadians
| begins        =
| ends          =
| significance  = Birthday of [[Queen Victoria]]
| date          = Last Monday preceding May 25
| celebrations  = [[Fireworks]], parades, [[barbecues]]
| duration      = 1 day
| frequency     = Annual
| date{{LASTYEAR}}         = {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR}}|May|25|Monday}}
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}}      = {{Weekday before date|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|May|25|Monday}}
| date{{NEXTYEAR}}         = {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR}}|May|25|Monday}}
| date{{#time:Y|+2 years}} = {{Weekday before date|{{#time:Y|+2 years}}|May|25|Monday}}
| observances   =
| relatedto     = {{plainlist|
* [[King's Official Birthday#Canada|Sovereign's Birthday]]
* [[Commonwealth Day]] (until 1977)
}}
}}

'''Victoria Day''' ({{langx|fr|links=no|Fête de la Reine|lit=Celebration of the Queen}}) is a federal [[Public holidays in Canada|Canadian public holiday]] observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour [[Queen Victoria]], who is known as the "Mother of [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]]". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Victoria's natural birthday, May 24. It falls on the Monday between the 18th and the 24th (inclusive) and, so, is always the [[penultimate]] Monday of May ({{DatesWD|-2|1|5|format=%B %d}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}} and {{DatesWD|-2|1|5|format=%B %d|{{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}+1}}}} in {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}+1}}). Victoria Day is a federal statutory holiday, as well as a holiday in six of Canada's ten provinces and all three of its territories. The holiday has always been a distinctly Canadian observance and continues to be celebrated across the country.<ref name=Macleans>{{Citation| url=http://www.macleans.ca/2012/05/18/victoria-day-only-in-canada/| last=Parker| first=Alan| title=Victoria Day: Only in Canada| date=May 18, 2012| magazine=Maclean's| publisher=Rogers Communications| accessdate=May 21, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103063620/http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/05/18/victoria-day-only-in-canada/| archive-date=November 3, 2013| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=G&M>{{Citation| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/victoria-day-responsible-rule-and-firecrackers/article2438674/| title=Victoria Day: responsible rule and firecrackers| date=May 20, 2012| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| accessdate=May 22, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526155457/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/victoria-day-responsible-rule-and-firecrackers/article2438674/| archive-date=May 26, 2012| url-status=dead}}</ref> It is informally considered the start of the summer season in Canada.

The same date is also, since 1952, recognized as the currently reigning [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian monarch]]'s [[King's Official Birthday#Canada|official birthday]] (though, previously, that event had been marked in Canada typically on each monarch's actual birthday).<ref>{{Citation |title=Government of Canada; Canadian Heritage |date=October 16, 2017 |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days/victoria-day.html |access-date=May 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521234143/https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days/victoria-day.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Quebec]], before 2003, the Monday preceding May 25 of each year was unofficially the {{lang|fr|Fête de Dollard}}, a commemoration of [[Adam Dollard des Ormeaux]], initiated in the 1920s to coincide with Victoria Day. In 2003, provincial legislation officially created [[National Patriots' Day]] ({{langx|fr|links=no|Journée nationale des Patriotes}}) on the same date.

==History==
Royal birthdays for members of French and British royal families were commemorated in various parts of Canada since the 17th century. These were ad hoc commemorations, rather than holidays enshrined in law. Early commemorations were typically marked by an official ceremony, such as a [[Levee (ceremony)|levee]] and military review, banquets, and sporting events. Several different days were used to celebrate a sovereign's birthday. The birth date for [[George III]], June 4, was observed from the late 18th century to decades after his death in 1820.{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=84}} Until the mid-19th century, the monarch's birthday was more of a military occasion than a civil celebration, as it was the day when able-bodied men in the colony assembled into their [[Canadian Militia|militia units]] for their compulsory military training, as well as attended reviews and celebrations in commemoration of the monarch.<ref name=canenvicday>{{citation| url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/victoria-day| last=Harris| first=Carolyn| title=Victoria Day| date=May 13, 2015| encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia| publisher=Historica Canada| accessdate=April 10, 2023}}</ref>

Shortly after [[the Canadas]] were united into the [[Province of Canada]], the [[Parliament of the Province of Canada|Parliament]] sought to create a new public holiday that would form common ground between English and [[French Canadians]], helping them transcend their religious and cultural differences. The birthday of [[Queen Victoria]] was selected to be transformed into a public holiday, as it was a date that appealed to both English  and French Canadians. At the time, loyalty to the Crown was seen as a key trait that distinguished Canada from the United States and the monarchy was viewed as a "guarantor of minority rights" in the colony.<ref name=canenvicday/> The Queen's birthday was officially designated as a public holiday by legislation passed in 1845, transforming the date from a military event to a civilian holiday<ref name=Macleans/><ref name=G&M/><ref name=DCH>{{citation| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/jfa-ha/victoria-eng.cfm| title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Victoria Day > Sovereign's Birthday| accessdate=May 12, 2009| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205141327/http://pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/jfa-ha/victoria-eng.cfm| archive-date=February 5, 2009}}</ref> and making it Canada's now-oldest official holiday.<ref name=CBCNews>{{citation| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/victoria-day-2015-24-facts-about-may-24-long-weekend-1.3072164| last=Butler| first=Colin| title=Victoria Day 2015: 24 facts about May 24 long weekend| date=May 14, 2015| publisher=CBC News| accessdate=April 11, 2023}}</ref> 
[[File:First Government House in Toronto 1854.jpg|thumb|Crowds gather outside [[Government House (Ontario)#Second Government House (Elmsley House)|Government House]] in [[Toronto]], [[Canada West]] (now [[Ontario]]), on Victoria Day, 1854]]

On Victoria's 35th birthday, in 1854, some 5,000 residents of [[Canada West]] gathered in front of [[Government House (Ontario)|Government House]] (near present-day [[King Street (Toronto)|King]] and Simcoe Streets in [[Toronto]]) to "give cheers to their queen".<ref>{{Cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/torontoremembere0000kilb/page/105| last=Killbourn| first=William| author-link=William Kilbourn| title=Toronto Remembered| page=105| publisher=Soddart Publishing| year=1984| location=Toronto| isbn=978-0-7737-2029-9}}</ref> An example of a typical 19th-century celebration of the Queen's birthday took place on May 24, 1866, in [[Omemee, Ontario|Omemee]], also in Canada West: The town mounted a day-long fête, including pre-dawn serenades, [[picnic]]s, athletic competitions, a display of illuminations, a torch-light procession, and a gun salute at midnight.<ref name=Macleans/><ref>{{Citation| url=http://www.ontariogenealogy.com/ontarionewspapers/omemee/omemee_victoriaday1866.html| title=Ontario Genealogy Historical Newspaper Reading Collection – Omemee > Omemee Victoria Day Celebrations – 1866| publisher=Ontario and Upper Canada Genealogy and History| accessdate=May 13, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523191029/http://www.ontariogenealogy.com/ontarionewspapers/omemee/omemee_victoriaday1866.html| archive-date=May 23, 2009}}</ref> By [[Canadian Confederation]] in 1867, Victoria Day celebrations were held in communities in Ontario and Quebec and would later spread to [[Territorial evolution of Canada|other parts of the country as it expanded]].<ref name=canenvicday/>

Even as the inhabitants of the [[Red River Colony]], in the then-British territory of [[Rupert's Land]], resisted Canadian expansion, clashing with agents of Canada's government in 1869 and 1870 as Canada negotiated the purchase of Rupert's Land from Britain, the [[Red River Rebellion#Provisional government|Red River Colony's provisional government]] celebrated Victoria's birthday with a show of skill at the militia's drill.<ref>{{citation| title=The Queen's Birth-Day| newspaper=New Nation| date=27 May 1870| page=2}}</ref>

The day had become a "patriotic holiday" by the 1890s.<ref name=G&M/> Amid the [[Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Victoria's Diamond Jubilee]] in 1897, the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] passed a bill that aimed to fix the Queen's birthday in perpetuity as a holiday in her honour. It was sent to the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], where it languished as a private member's bill without government support.{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=88–89}} It was not until after Victoria's death in May 1901 that the Queen's Birthday was made a perpetual statutory holiday by which to remember the late Queen, who was deemed the "Mother of Confederation".<ref name=Macleans/><ref name=DCH/><ref name=Senate>{{citation| url=https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/the-legacy-of-queen-victoria/#:~:text=This%20full%2Dlength%20state%20portrait,destroyed%20the%20original%20Centre%20Block.| author=Senate of Canada| title=The Legacy of Queen Victoria| date=May 22, 2017| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=March 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/royalobservation0000bous| url-access=registration| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli| first2=Garry| title=Royal Observations| page=10| publisher=Dundurn Press| location=Toronto| year=1991| isbn=1-55002-076-5| quote=The Queen's role in promoting Canadian unity truly made her the "Mother of Confederation" and at her death Victoria Day, that uniquely Canadian holiday, was created as a memorial day...| accessdate=September 14, 2010}}</ref> Some [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|members of Parliament]] proposed the holiday keep the name ''Queen's Birthday'', while others proposed changing it to ''Queen Victoria Day'' or ''Victorian Empire Day''. The name ''Victoria Day'' was selected by Prime Minister [[Wilfrid Laurier]], who wanted to avoid an imperialist name that would antagonize French Canadians.{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=102}} The Crown-in-Council, the following year, designated May 24 as the official birthday of King [[Edward VII]].{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=94}} 
[[File:Victoria Day postcard.jpg|thumb|left|Victoria Day celebrations at [[Queen's Park (Toronto)|Queen's Park]], in Toronto, 1910]]

Victoria Day served as the King's official birthday until 1910, when King [[George V]] acceded to the throne. From then until 1952, Victoria Day only honoured Queen Victoria's contribution to Canadian Confederation, with the reigning monarch's official birthday typically observed in June, instead.<ref name=canenvicday/> However, for King [[George VI]]'s [[1939 royal tour of Canada|tour of Canada in 1939]], the King's official birthday was changed to May 20, so he could be present for official festivities;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days/victoria-day.html|title=Victoria Day|publisher=Government of Canada|website=www.canada.ca|date=10 January 2023}}</ref> still, Victoria Day was also treated as a day to celebrate the King's birthday.<ref name=canenvicday/>

In 1952, the date for Victoria Day was made variable, changing from May 24 to the last Monday before May 25 each year, ensuring that most Canadians would receive a [[long weekend]].{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=104}} The [[Monarch's Official Birthday#Canada|monarch's official birthday in Canada]] was, by annual viceregal proclamations between 1953 and 1956, made to fall on the same day as Victoria Day. On January 31, 1957,<ref name=DCH/><ref>{{Citation| title=Holidays Act| date=December 12, 1988| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| author-link=Elizabeth II}}</ref> the link was made permanent by [[royal proclamation]].<ref name=DCH/><ref>{{Citation| url=http://www.canlii.org/en/yk/laws/regu/yco-1957-100/latest/part-1/yco-1957-100-part-1.pdf| title=Proclaimed for Celebration of Queen's Birthday| date=October 11, 1957| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=May 24, 2011}}</ref>

===Relation with Empire Day===
{{further|Commonwealth Day}}
[[File:Empire Day, 1952 (IA empireday195200onta).pdf|thumb|upright|Cover for the 1952 Empire Day program issued by Ontario's Department of Education. Empire Day took place the weekday before Victoria Day from 1898 to 1976.]]
Shortly after Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1898, [[Clementina Trenholme]] advocated the creation of Empire Day, a complementary auxiliary event that would occur the weekday before the Queen's Birthday. Empire Day was not intended to be a general holiday like Victoria Day, but, was instead intended to provide schools and civic institutions the opportunity to implement activities and lessons on Canada and the British Empire before the monarch's official birthday. The event was adopted by several schools in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=89}} May 24 was, by imperial decree in 1904, made Empire Day throughout the British Empire.<ref name=Macleans/> 

In 1958, Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day. In 1977, the day was moved to the second Monday in March, ending its association as an "opening act" to Victoria Day in Canada.{{sfn|Hayday|Blake|2017|p=104}}

===Incidents===
Victoria Day celebrations have been marred by major tragedy at least twice. In 1881, the passenger ferry ''Victoria'' overturned in the [[Thames River (Ontario)|Thames River]] near [[London, Ontario]]. The boat departed in the evening with 600 to 800 people on board—three times the allowed passenger capacity—and capsized partway across the river, drowning some 182 individuals, including a large number of children who had been with their families for Victoria Day picnics at [[Springbank Park]]. The event came to be known as the "[[Victoria steamboat disaster|Victoria Day disaster]]".<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.londonhistory.org/victoria.htm| title=The Victoria Day Disaster| publisher=London and Middlesex Historical Society| accessdate=May 13, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010221013252/http://www.londonhistory.org/victoria.htm| archive-date=February 21, 2001| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Point Ellice Bridge disaster]] occurred in [[Victoria, British Columbia]], on May 26, 1896, when a bridge collapsed under the weight of a [[streetcar]] overloaded with passengers on their way to attend Victoria Day celebrations.<ref>{{Cite book| url=http://www.knowbc.com/| editor-last=Francis| editor-first=Daniel| editor-link=Daniel Francis (historian)| title=Encyclopedia of British Columbia| orig-year=1999| year=2000| publisher=Harbour Publishing| isbn=1-55017-200-X| page=562| accessdate=May 8, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000520030905/http://www.knowbc.com/| archive-date=May 20, 2000| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Provincial and territorial legislation==
Most workplaces in Canada are regulated by the provincial or territorial governments. Therefore, although Victoria Day is a statutory holiday for federal purposes, whether an employee is entitled to a paid day off generally depends on the province or territory of residence (with the exception of employees in federally regulated workplaces such as banks).

The status of Victoria Day in each of the provinces and territories is as follows: It is a general holiday in [[Alberta]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Holidays & General Holiday Pay > Victoria Day |url=http://employment.alberta.ca/SFW/5157.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518155703/http://www.employment.alberta.ca/SFW/5157.html |archive-date=May 18, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |publisher=Government of Alberta Human Services}}</ref> [[Manitoba]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fact Sheet: General Holidays |url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,gen-holidays-after-april-30-07,factsheet.html |access-date=May 17, 2012 |publisher=Government of Manitoba Employment Standards |archive-date=May 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523082306/http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,gen-holidays-after-april-30-07,factsheet.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Northwest Territories]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guide to Employment Standards |url=http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/Divisions/Labour/PC_Guide_to_Employment_Standards.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618161450/http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/Divisions/Labour/PC_Guide_to_Employment_Standards.htm |archive-date=June 18, 2009 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> and [[Yukon]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=General holidays |url=http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/es/hol.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413190839/http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/es/hol.html |archive-date=April 13, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |publisher=Yukon Department of Community Services}}</ref> and is a statutory holiday in [[British Columbia]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statutory Holidays in British Columbia Factsheet |url=http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/statutory_holidays.htm |access-date=May 17, 2012 |publisher=British Columbia Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government |archive-date=May 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518200422/http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/statutory_holidays.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ontario]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/publicholidays.php |title=Public Holidays |date=November 2009 |isbn=978-1-4249-3383-9 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=May 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520224756/http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/publicholidays.php |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Saskatchewan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Labour Standards: Public Holidays (Statutory) |url=http://www.lrws.gov.sk.ca/public-holidays |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601131140/http://www.lrws.gov.sk.ca/public-holidays |archive-date=June 1, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> Victoria Day is not a paid public holiday but is a government holiday in: [[Newfoundland and Labrador]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Labour Relations Agency: Public Holidays |url=https://www.gov.nl.ca/lra/faq/ls_holidays.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612200303/http://www.gov.nl.ca/lra/faq/ls_holidays.html |archive-date=June 12, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Public Service Secretariat: government holidays for 2012 |url=http://www.exec.gov.nl.ca/exec/pss/working_with_us/holidays2012.html |access-date=May 18, 2012 |archive-date=March 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311172051/http://www.exec.gov.nl.ca/exec/pss/working_with_us/holidays2012.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Nova Scotia]], where it is also not a designated retail closing day, but is considered a "non-statutory holiday";<ref>{{Cite web |title=Holiday and Designated Closing Day Charts |date=July 17, 2006 |url=http://www.gov.ns.ca/lae/employmentrights/holidaychart.asp |access-date=May 17, 2012 |publisher=Government of Nova Scotia: Labour and Advanced Education |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426182635/http://www.gov.ns.ca/lae/employmentrights/holidaychart.asp |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Prince Edward Island]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paid Holidays |url=http://www.gov.pe.ca/labour/index.php3?number=1022265&lang=E |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=July 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727200331/http://www.gov.pe.ca/labour/index.php3?number=1022265&lang=E |url-status=live}}</ref> although provincial legislation defines "holiday" to include Victoria Day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interpretation Act |url=http://www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/pdf/i-08.pdf |access-date=May 17, 2012 |publisher=Prince Edward Island Legislative Counsel Office |archive-date=May 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513182411/http://www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/pdf/i-08.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Nunavut]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Labour Standards Act, RSNWT (Nu) 1988, c L-1 |url=http://canlii.org/eliisa/highlight.do?text=%22day+fixed+by+the+governor+general+for+observance%22&language=en&searchTitle=Nunavut&path=/en/nu/laws/stat/rsnwt-nu-1988-c-l-1/latest/rsnwt-nu-1988-c-l-1.html |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> and [[New Brunswick]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Employment Standards Be Informed: Paid Public Holidays and Vacation/Vacation Pay |url=http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/petl-epft/PDF/es/PublicHolidays.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302150359/http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/petl-epft/PDF/es/PublicHolidays.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> the date is set as a general holiday (for New Brunswick, a prescribed day of rest on which retail businesses must be closed<ref>{{Cite web |title=Days of Rest Act: Frequently Asked Questions |date=June 22, 2011 |url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/elg/local_government/content/governance/content/days_of_rest_act/faq.html#3 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref>) to mark the reigning sovereign's official birthday.

Beginning in the 1920s, French Canadians in Quebec informally called the May holiday {{lang|fr|Fête de Dollard}}, after [[Adam Dollard des Ormeaux]], an early colonist of [[New France]]. In 2002, the provincial government of Quebec replaced {{lang|fr|Fête de Dollard}} with [[National Patriots' Day]], which commemorates the [[patriotes]] of the [[Lower Canada Rebellion]] of 1837.<ref name=canenvicday/>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
!Jurisdiction
!Paid holiday (for provincially regulated employees)
|-
|[[Alberta]]
|Yes
|-
|[[British Columbia]]
|Yes
|-
|[[Manitoba]]
|Yes
|-
|[[Newfoundland and Labrador]]
|No (government employees only)
|-
|[[New Brunswick]]
|No<ref>{{Cite web |title=Provincial Payroll Legislation : 2022 General (Stat) and Public Holidays in New Brunswick |url=https://www.payworks.ca/payroll-legislation/statholidays.asp?stats=new-brunswick |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Payworks |language=en-ca |archive-date=May 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507181044/https://www.payworks.ca/payroll-legislation/statholidays.asp?stats=new-brunswick |url-status=live}}</ref> (but retail businesses must be closed) 
|-
|[[Nova Scotia]]
|No
|-
|[[Ontario]]
|Yes (except for employees of the Crown and certain public bodies)<ref>{{Cite web |title=O.Reg. 498/18: WHEN WORK DEEMED TO BE PERFORMED, EXEMPTIONS AND SPECIAL RULES |date=July 24, 2014 |url=https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/R18498 |access-date=2022-05-23 |language=en-ca |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523151715/https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/R18498 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Prince Edward Island]]
|No
|-
|[[Quebec]]
|Yes (equivalent holiday)
|-
|[[Saskatchewan]]
|Yes
|-
|[[Northwest Territories]]
|Yes
|-
|[[Nunavut]]
|Yes<ref>{{Cite web |title=Provincial Payroll Legislation : 2022 General (Stat) and Public Holidays in Nunavut |url=https://www.payworks.ca/payroll-legislation/statholidays.asp?stats=nunavut |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Payworks |language=en-ca |archive-date=May 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507181007/https://www.payworks.ca/payroll-legislation/statholidays.asp?stats=nunavut |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Yukon]]
|Yes
|}

==Practice==
[[File:Victoria Day Parade.jpg|thumb|A crowd lines a street in [[Victoria, British Columbia]], for the 2015 Victoria Day parade]]

Canada is the only country that commemorates Queen Victoria with an official holiday.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/937222--long-live-our-victoria-day| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616004751/http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/937222--long-live-our-victoria-day| url-status=dead| archive-date=June 16, 2013| title=Long Live our Victoria Day| date=May 22, 2013| newspaper=The Record| accessdate=May 22, 2013}}</ref> Federal government protocol dictates that, on Victoria Day, the [[Union Flag|Royal Union Flag]] is to be flown from sunrise to sunset at all [[Government of Canada|federal government]] buildings—including airports, military bases, and other [[Crown land|Crown owned property]] across the country—where physical arrangements allow (i.e. where a second flag pole exists, as the Royal Union Flag can never displace the [[Flag of Canada|national flag]]).<ref name=DCH/>

Several cities hold a [[parade]] on the holiday, with the most prominent being that which has taken place since 1898 in the monarch's namesake city of [[Victoria, British Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arts and Culture > Festivals & Celebrations > Victoria Day |url=http://www.victoria.ca/residents/artscl_artfest.shtml#may_vicday |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501062858/http://www.victoria.ca/residents/artscl_artfest.shtml#may_vicday |archive-date=May 1, 2009 |access-date=May 12, 2009 |publisher=City of Victoria}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 21, 2007 |title=Giant Victoria Day Parade takes over Douglas St. |work=Times Colonist |url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=7c93eb77-63c1-4318-a233-9d410b6c0818&k=67302 |access-date=May 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824130440/http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=7c93eb77-63c1-4318-a233-9d410b6c0818&k=67302 |archive-date=August 24, 2007}}</ref> In nearby [[New Westminster]], the Victoria Day weekend is distinguished by the Hyack Anvil Battery Salute, a tradition created during colonial times as a surrogate for a [[21-gun salute]]: Gunpowder is placed between two anvils, the top one upturned, and the charge is ignited, hurling the upper anvil into the air. Other celebrations include an evening [[fireworks]] show, such as that held at [[Ashbridge's Bay Beach]] in the east end of Toronto, and at [[Ontario Place]], in the same city.
[[File:Feu-de-joie at Ottawa, 1868.jpg|thumb|left|Members of the Canadian Militia perform a [[feu-de-joie]] at [[Parliament Hill]] in [[Ottawa]] for the Queen's Birthday Review, 1868]]

In Ottawa, the traditional [[Trooping the Colour]] ceremony takes place on [[Parliament Hill]] or occasionally at [[Rideau Hall]]. The reviewing officer in the ceremony is the monarch, with members of the [[Monarchy in Canada#Royal family and house|royal family]], the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]], the minister of national defence, or the chief of the defence staff taking the sovereign's place in their absence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 1, 2001 |title=Cadet Instructor Cadre |url=http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pac/rcis/FileLinks/JOLC-MOC%20Land%20PIP.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181621/http://www.regions.cadets.forces.gc.ca/pac/rcis/FileLinks/JOLC-MOC%20Land%20PIP.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=December 28, 2018 |website=Department of National Defence |pages=3–4–2}}</ref> The participating units in the parade include personnel of the [[Governor General's Foot Guards]] and [[The Canadian Grenadier Guards]], both of which are part of the ad hoc [[Ceremonial Guard (Canada)|Ceremonial Guard]].

Across the country, Victoria Day serves as the unofficial marker of the end of the winter social season and, thus, the beginning of the summer social calendar.{{refn|<ref name=Macleans/><ref name=G&M/><ref name=Senate/><ref name=CBCNews/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tong |first=Tracy |date=March 19, 2008 |title=Victoria Day seen as family time |work=Metro |url=http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/55892 |access-date=May 13, 2009 |archive-date=May 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524043340/http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/55892 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} [[Banff, Alberta]]'s [[Sunshine Village]] ends its lengthy ski season on Victoria Day and,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mountain > The Mountain Overview |url=http://www.skibanff.com/the_mountain/overview.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228033353/http://skibanff.com/the_mountain/overview.php |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |access-date=May 12, 2009 |publisher=Sunshine Village}}</ref> likewise, it is during this long weekend that many summer businesses—such as parks, outdoor restaurants, bicycle rentals, city tour operators, etc.—will open. Victoria Day is also a mark of the beginning of the cottage season, when [[Cottage#North America|cottage]] owners may reverse the [[winterization]] of their property.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tynan |first=Jack |date=May 14, 2003 |title=Step by step work guide for Victoria Day opening of cottage |url=http://www.parrysound.com/press/1053116053/ |newspaper=North Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523102311/http://www.parrysound.com/press/1053116053/ |archive-date=May 23, 2009 |access-date=May 13, 2009}}</ref><ref name=Hauser>{{Cite news |last=Hauser |first=Michelle |date=May 21, 2013 |title=The truth about Victoria Day |newspaper=The Whig |url=http://www.thewhig.com/2013/05/21/the-truth-about-victoria-day |access-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927182120/http://www.thewhig.com/2013/05/21/the-truth-about-victoria-day |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gardener]]s in Canada will similarly regard Victoria Day as the beginning of spring,<ref name=CBCNews/><ref name=Hauser/> as it falls at a time when one can be fairly certain that frost will not return until the next autumn. There is also a change in fashion: lighter-coloured summer clothing was traditionally worn from Victoria Day through to Labour Day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victoria Day |url=http://www.cooksinfo.com/victoria-day |access-date=May 16, 2014 |publisher=Cooks Info |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517151853/http://www.cooksinfo.com/victoria-day |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Victoria Day in Niagara Falls (47937470762).jpg|thumb|A large group of people looking at [[Niagara Falls]] during the Victoria Day long weekend in 2019]]

The holiday is colloquially known in parts of Canada as "May Two-Four",{{refn|<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 26, 2004 |title=CBC News > Indepth > Language > 5,000 new words |publisher=CBC |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/language/ |access-date=May 12, 2009 |archive-date=April 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419050212/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/language/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 22, 2010 |title=May Two-Four or Victoria Day? |newspaper=Toronto Sun |url=http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/05/22/14047206.html |access-date=May 24, 2010 |archive-date=May 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523153623/http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/05/22/14047206.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=TDAS>{{Cite web |title=Victoria Day in Canada |url=http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/victoria-day |access-date=May 17, 2010 |publisher=Time and Date AS |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130030650/http://timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/victoria-day |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Finch |first=Robert |title=Give her some respect – it's not May 2–4 weekend |date=May 15, 2009 |url=http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/opinions/article/174698 |newspaper=Hamilton Mountain News |access-date=May 24, 2011 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603000739/https://www.thespec.com/local-hamilton-mountain/home.htmlopinions/article/174698 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} a [[double entendre]] that refers both to the date around which the holiday falls (May 24) and the [[Canadian slang]] for a case of twenty-four beers (a "two-four"), a drink popular during the long weekend.<ref name=Macleans/> The holiday weekend may also be known as the "May long weekend", "May Long",<ref name=CBCNews/> or in [[Timmins]] and surrounding areas, "May Run",{{refn|<ref name=TDAS/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Armstrong |first=Diane |date=May 17, 2019 |title=Why is it called 'May Run'?  |url=https://www.timminspress.com/opinion/columnists/why-is-it-called-may-run |access-date=Sep 12, 2023 |publisher=The Timmins Daily Press }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chubak|first=Lydia|date=May 19, 2017 |title=May run? 'It's a Timmins phrase' for the long weekend |url=https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/may-run-it-s-a-timmins-phrase-for-the-long-weekend-1.3421966 |newspaper=CTV News |access-date=Sep 12, 2023 |archive-date=April 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410161112/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/05/139_45217.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}. The term "Firecracker Day" was also once employed in Ontario.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilcox |first=Ted |date=May 16, 2008 |title=Firecracker Day |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=http://www.thespec.com/article/370070 |access-date=April 20, 2010 |archive-date=June 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615060340/http://www.thespec.com/article/370070 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Corbett |first=Ron |date=May 17, 2015 |title=Feds blew it on Firecracker Day |work=Ottawa Sun |url=https://ottawasun.com/2015/05/17/feds-blew-it-on-firecracker-day/wcm/b0649f63-ae2f-47c8-b7ff-445001897b57 |access-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517062617/https://ottawasun.com/2015/05/17/feds-blew-it-on-firecracker-day/wcm/b0649f63-ae2f-47c8-b7ff-445001897b57 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A traditional, short song about Victoria Day went as follows: "The twenty-fourth of May / Is the Queen's birthday; / If they don't give us a holiday / We'll all run away!"<ref name=G&M/> The holiday is referenced in the song "[[Lakeside Park (song)|Lakeside Park]]" by Canadian rock band [[Rush (band)|Rush]], from their 1975 album ''[[Caress of Steel]]''. The song features the line, "everyone would gather on the 24th of May, sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display".

==Petition to change name==

In 2013, an online petition was circulated to rename the holiday "Victoria and First Peoples Day",<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.theobserver.ca/2013/05/19/group-wants-victoria-day-holiday-to-be-renamed| last=Davidson| first=Terry| title=Group wants Victoria Day name change| date=May 19, 2013| newspaper=Sarnia Observer| accessdate=May 19, 2013| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616004858/http://www.theobserver.ca/2013/05/19/group-wants-victoria-day-holiday-to-be-renamed| archive-date=June 16, 2013| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/prominent-canadians-back-petition-to-rename-victoria-day-to-honour-aboriginals| last=Shingler| first=Benjamin| title=Victoria Day: Prominent Canadians back petition to rename holiday| date=May 19, 2013| newspaper=National Post| access-date=May 20, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603000744/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/| archive-date=June 3, 2022| url-status=live}}</ref> to provide Canadians with an opportunity to honour both the Crown and the [[Indigenous peoples of Canada]],<ref name=CBCNews/> which [[Monarchy of Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Canada|share a relationship]]. While a group of prominent Canadian actors, authors, and politicians sent the petition to [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Stephen Harper]], in total the petition did not get enough traction for any change to occur.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/victoria-day | title=Victoria Day }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Monarchism in Canada]]
* [[Bermuda Day]]
* [[Memorial Day]]
* [[Victoria Day (Scotland)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Celebrating Canada: Holidays, National Days, and the Crafting of Identities|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2017|last1=Hayday|first1=Matthew|last2=Blake|first2=Raymond B.|author-link2=Raymond B. Blake|isbn=978-1442621541}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Wiktionary-inline|Victoria Day}}
* [https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days/victoria-day.html Department of Canadian Heritage website entry for Victoria Day]

{{Holidays in Canada}}
{{Canadian royal symbols}}
{{Queen Victoria}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:1845 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1845]]
[[Category:Birthdays by person]]
[[Category:Birthdays of heads of state]]
[[Category:May observances]]
[[Category:Monarchy of Canada]]
[[Category:Monday observances]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials to Queen Victoria]]
[[Category:Public holidays in Canada]]
[[Category:Spring (season) in Canada]]