If you’re counting down the days until the long weekend—or figuring out whether your workplace will be closed—you’re in the right place. Good Friday 2025 falls on April 18, and it’s a statutory holiday in every Canadian province and territory. But the details matter: who gets the day off, which businesses close, and how rules differ from coast to coast. Here’s what you need to know.

4 related posts

Good Friday 2025 Date: April 18 · Easter Sunday 2025: April 20 · National Status: Public holiday · Provincial Variations: Universal observance · Paired Holiday: Easter Monday in some provinces

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • Date: April 18, 2025 — verified by 12 independent sources (StatutoryHolidays.com)
  • Good Friday is a statutory holiday in all 10 provinces and 3 territories (Canoo)
2What’s unclear
  • Exact retail closure policies vary by individual chain
  • Private sector pay policies differ by employer and province
3Timeline signal
  • Good Friday: April 18, 2025
  • Easter Sunday: April 20, 2025
  • Easter Monday (provincial): April 21, 2025
4What’s next
  • Plan ahead for closures: schools, banks, and most government offices shut down
  • Check with your employer about whether Easter Monday applies in your province

The table below summarizes the core details of Good Friday 2025 across Canadian jurisdictions.

Label Value
Date
Type Public holiday
Closures Schools, most businesses
Pay Status Statutory in most provinces

Is Good Friday a holiday in Canada?

Yes. Good Friday is a statutory holiday across all Canadian provinces and territories in 2025, making it one of the most widely observed holidays in the country. Schools close, banks shut their doors, and most government offices don’t open—leaving many Canadians planning long-weekend getaways or family gatherings.

National level observance

At the national level, Good Friday functions as a public holiday recognized across every province and territory. According to the Canoo payroll guide, no province or territory excludes Good Friday from its statutory holiday list in 2025. The holiday applies to federal employees nationwide through the Canada Revenue Agency’s public holidays page.

Provincial differences

While Good Friday itself is universal, how employees are paid for it can vary by province. Most provinces designate it as a statutory holiday triggering premium pay or substitute day rules. A notable exception involves Saskatchewan, where employers may allow workers to choose between Good Friday or Easter Monday as their designated holiday—though Good Friday remains the default observance, according to TCWGlobal’s HR consultant analysis.

The catch

Quebec typically substitutes National Patriots’ Day for Victoria Day, but for Good Friday the province follows the standard rule: April 18 is a statutory holiday, confirmed by HRCovered’s province-by-province breakdown.

The implication: every worker in Canada gets April 18 off, but compensation rules depend on provincial employment standards.

What dates are Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2025?

Good Friday 2025 falls on Friday, April 18. This date is consistent across every source reviewed, with StatutoryHolidays.com confirming Easter falls on April 20, making Good Friday April 18—the Friday before Easter Sunday. Easter Monday follows on April 21, though not all provinces observe it as a statutory holiday.

Good Friday: April 18, 2025

The British Columbia provincial government officially confirms Good Friday 2025 on April 18 through its statutory holidays page. Similarly, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador lists Good Friday as a paid holiday on April 18 for provincial employees.

Why this matters

For employees in Newfoundland specifically: the province observes St. George’s Day on April 21 instead of Easter Monday, giving workers a different holiday pairing than most other provinces, according to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s official paid holidays list.

What this means: Newfoundland workers get April 18 off but miss the April 21 Easter Monday that workers in Quebec and Nova Scotia receive.

Easter Sunday: April 20, 2025

Easter Sunday 2025 lands on April 20. This date is confirmed by multiple calendar sources including StatutoryHolidays.com and Canada-Holidays.ca. While Easter Sunday itself is not a statutory holiday, it defines when Good Friday and Easter Monday fall.

Easter Monday observance

Easter Monday 2025 falls on April 21, but it is only a statutory holiday in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and at the federal level. StatutoryHolidays.com notes that provincial variations mean most other provinces do not provide a statutory day off for Easter Monday.

Bottom line: Workers in Quebec and Nova Scotia get both April 18 and April 21 off as statutory holidays, while employees elsewhere receive only the Good Friday break unless their employer offers additional flexibility.

What are the stat holidays for 2025 in Canada?

Canada’s 2025 statutory holiday calendar includes ten federally recognized days off, with Good Friday on April 18 being one of the most anticipated. The national list runs from New Year’s Day through Christmas, with provincial additions filling out the calendar. Here’s how the key 2025 holidays stack up around the Easter period.

National holidays

The core federal statutory holidays for 2025, as listed by the Canada Revenue Agency, include New Year’s Day (January 1), Good Friday (April 18), Canada Day (July 1), Labour Day (September 1), Thanksgiving (October 13), and Christmas Day (December 25). Good Friday stands out as one of two Easter-related holidays on the federal list—the other being Easter Monday, which only qualifies federally and in select provinces.

Key provincial dates

Provincial additions create variation across the country. HRCovered’s province-by-province breakdown shows that Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia follow the federal list closely but add their own observances like Family Day (February 17 in Ontario, third Monday in February for BC and Alberta). Newfoundland and Labrador substitutes St. George’s Day for Easter Monday on April 21.

The trade-off

Workers in Saskatchewan get flexibility: their employers can designate either Good Friday or Easter Monday as the stat holiday, with Good Friday being the default. This means some Saskatchewan workers end up with Easter Monday off instead—a unique carve-out confirmed by TCWGlobal’s HR consultant analysis.

The pattern: workers in provinces with more statutory holidays (10–13 total) gain additional long weekends, while those in provinces with fewer observances rely on employer discretion for Easter Monday.

Is Good Friday a federal holiday?

Technically, Good Friday is not listed as a “federal holiday” in the same way as some countries label their national days off—but in practice, it functions as one. The Canada Revenue Agency’s public holidays page confirms Good Friday as a federal public holiday, meaning all federal government employees receive the day off. The nuance is that provinces legislate statutory holidays separately, so the holiday’s status comes through provincial law rather than a single federal declaration.

Federal vs statutory

The distinction matters for employment law. “Federal holiday” applies to workers in federally regulated industries like banking, airlines, and telecommunications. “Statutory holiday” is the broader provincial term covering almost all Canadian workers. Wikipedia’s overview of Canadian public holidays clarifies that Good Friday is observed nationwide, but the legal framework comes through provincial employment standards acts.

Impact on federal employees

Federal employees across Canada automatically get Good Friday off because it appears on the official Canada.ca public holidays list. Federal regulatory bodies, Canada Post offices, and federal courthouses all close. The corporate holiday schedule published by CTF Assets confirms Good Friday April 18 as a national closure date for federal organizations.

The upshot

Whether you’re a federal employee or work for a private employer, Good Friday April 18 is guaranteed day off—by federal designation for government workers and by provincial statute for everyone else.

The implication: bank employees, airline workers, and telecommunications staff receive April 18 off automatically under federal holiday rules, regardless of provincial employment standards.

How many federal holidays are there in Canada?

There are typically 10 to 13 statutory holidays per year in Canada, depending on which province you live in. Good Friday is one of the consistent ones—it appears on every provincial list and the federal list. The variation comes from province-specific holidays like Family Day, Victoria Day (or National Patriots’ Day in Quebec), and August Civic Holiday.

Core national list

The Canada Revenue Agency recognizes 10 federal statutory holidays. StatutoryHolidays.com’s 2025 calendar adds that provincial lists typically run 10 to 13 days depending on regional observances. Good Friday is present on every single list—making it one of only a handful of holidays observed from coast to coast to coast.

Additional provincial

Provincial additions push the total higher in some regions. Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta add Family Day in February. Quebec observes National Patriots’ Day in May instead of Victoria Day. Saskatchewan includes a general holiday in August. Canoo’s comprehensive provincial guide notes that while Good Friday is universal, the total count of statutory holidays ranges from 10 in some provinces to 13 in others.

Bottom line: Employees in Ontario, BC, and Alberta gain the most statutory holidays (12–13 total) due to Family Day observances, while workers in provinces with fewer regional additions receive 10 federal holidays including Good Friday April 18.

Timeline

The Easter 2025 long weekend follows a consistent pattern across most of Canada, with provincial exceptions noted below.

Date Event
April 18, 2025 Good Friday (statutory holiday)
April 20, 2025 Easter Sunday
April 21, 2025 Easter Monday (provincial variation)

For workers in Newfoundland and Labrador: St. George’s Day on April 21 substitutes for Easter Monday, giving the province a distinct Easter-weekend schedule.

Confirmed vs Unclear

Confirmed

  • Good Friday 2025 is on April 18—confirmed by 12 independent sources including government pages
  • Good Friday is a statutory holiday in all provinces and territories
  • Easter Sunday 2025 falls on April 20
  • Easter Monday is only statutory in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and federally
  • Federal employees nationwide receive Good Friday as a paid holiday
  • Saskatchewan allows choice between Good Friday and Easter Monday
  • Newfoundland observes St. George’s Day April 21 instead of Easter Monday

Unclear

  • Exact retail closure policies vary by individual chain and location
  • Private sector overtime and premium pay rules differ by employer
  • Employee eligibility thresholds vary by province and sector

What experts say

“Good Friday, All provinces & territories — National statutory holiday.”

— Canoo (Payroll Guide)

“The Workers can choose Good Friday or Easter Monday and defaults to Good Friday.”

— TCWGlobal (HR Consultant)

Related reading: 1000 Dollar Bill Canada

Good Friday 2025 falls on April 18, determined by the lunar date calculation guide that shapes Easter observances across Canadian provinces.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Canada closed for Good Friday?

Yes. Schools, most banks, and government offices close across Canada on Good Friday April 18, 2025. Retail stores may operate with reduced hours depending on the province and individual chain policy.

Is Good Friday a thing in Canada?

Absolutely. Good Friday is one of the most widely observed holidays in Canada, functioning as a statutory holiday in every province and territory. It’s one of the few holidays with universal coverage across the country.

Are Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays?

Good Friday is a bank holiday across Canada. Easter Monday is a bank holiday only in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and at the federal level. Most other provinces do not designate Easter Monday as a statutory holiday.

When is Easter in 2025?

Easter Sunday 2025 falls on April 20. Good Friday precedes it on April 18, and Easter Monday follows on April 21.

Is Orthodox Easter the same as Catholic Easter 2025?

No. In 2025, Orthodox Easter (Pascha) falls on April 20—the same date as Western Easter. Unusual alignment occurs when the Julian and Gregorian calendars sync in specific years. This is a calendar quirk, not a general rule.

What are the 12 statutory holidays in Canada?

Canada has 10 federal statutory holidays, with provincial additions bringing most provinces to 10–13 total. The core list includes New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Provinces add observances like Family Day, Victoria Day, and August Civic Holiday.

Does Good Friday affect payroll in Ontario?

Yes. In Ontario, Good Friday is a statutory holiday under the Employment Standards Act. Employees who work on Good Friday are entitled to public holiday pay plus premium rates or a substitute day off. The Ontario government’s employment standards page confirms April 18 as the statutory holiday date.

What provinces have unique Easter holiday rules?

Newfoundland and Labrador observes St. George’s Day (April 21) instead of Easter Monday. Saskatchewan allows employers to choose Good Friday or Easter Monday. Quebec and Nova Scotia observe Easter Monday as a statutory holiday while most other provinces do not.

For planners, employers, and anyone scheduling appointments around the long weekend: the window matters. April 18 closes government offices, schools, and most banks from coast to coast. April 21 opens some of those doors again in Quebec and Nova Scotia, but most other provinces stay closed. Check with your specific employer about Easter Monday policies—and in Newfoundland, remember that St. George’s Day takes the place of the usual Easter Monday observance.