Should Canadians get a paid day off for the Queen's funeral?

UPDATE: On Sept. 13, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sept. 19 will be a federal holiday and a day of mourning as Queen Elizabeth II is buried. More details here. Original story follows. 

On Monday, Sept. 19, the day Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest, most Canadians will be at work or school.

But some supporters of the beloved monarch are hoping Justin Trudeau will declare the day a statutory holiday, giving them the day off to watch the televised service and commemorate the Queen.

“I’m very optimistic and hopeful the prime minister will announce this,” said Keith Roy with the Monarchist League of Canada.

"As Canadians, we can come together with a national holiday. And I suggest that we turn it into a day of service, where Canadians are given a chance to not only watch the service in Westminster Abbey, but get together on that Monday to perform an act of service.”

The CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business supports the declaration of a ceremonial holiday but not a paid statutory one.

“It’s an important day, no question. But does it require a full day off work or pay in lieu? I suspect that is a step too far for most. People love getting extra time off, but it does throw the labour market into turmoil,” said Dan Kelly.

If the prime minister does declare a statutory holiday, federally-regulated employees would get the day off or extra pay if they’re required to work. But the vast majority of Canadians are employed in provincially regulated industries, and it would be up to individual provinces to decide if they would follow suit.

“If the federal government and the provincial governments decided to make this a statutory holiday, it would be enormously costly and troubling for employers to have to suddenly shut down operations in some cases, or pay time and a half in businesses that are required to be open,” said Kelly, adding “So we are hoping the governments don’t go down that road.”

Roy says he’s a small business owner himself and understands the concern, but believes the monarch’s funeral is a once-in-a-generation moment that Canadians should be able to watch and commemorate.

“There are times in the life of a nation where we can just pause and reflect and celebrate the life of someone who dedicated 70 years to serving our nation,” said Roy who points out other Commonwealth countries like Australia and New Zealand are declaring national paid holidays to mark the occasion.

While the CFIB hopes next Monday won’t be a statutory holiday, Kelly said business owners need notice if it’s going to happen.

“It would be nice if the federal government actually made a decision about this, given we are talking about a few days away. If there is any expectation that employers are going to have to change gears or come up with additional dollars at this critical time, they need to let us know ASAP," he said.

It’s expected an announcement about how Canada will mark the day of the Queen’s funeral could come when parliament reconvenes on Thursday.