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Federal and Provincial Hours of Working in Canada

In both the federal and provincial Canadian jurisdictions the eight-hour-workday is the accepted standard. The work week however can vary between 40 and 48 hours. This legislation also allows for a minimum number of rest hours per week, with most jurisdictions requiring 24 consecutive hours per week, most commonly falling on weekends.

You will also find that most provinces have some legislation restricting business hours on Sundays. In addition, some provinces even have legislation protecting the right of workers, under certain conditions, to refuse to work on Sundays.

The provincial legislation of the various provinces regulates the hours of work covering the:

  • minimum hours to be paid,
  • maximum hours of work permitted, and
  • required rest periods

Hours of Work and Required Rest Days for the Individual Provinces

For a more detailed description on the hours of work go to Canadian Employment Standards page then go to the relevant sections for the individual provinces.

Note that there may be differences from province-to-province:

  • Federal: Federal Employment Standards.
  • British Columbia: Part 4 of The Employment standards Act.
  • Alberta: Division 3 of The Employment Standards Code.
  • Saskatchewan: Part 1of The Labour Standards Act.
  • Manitoba: Part 2; Division 2 of The Employment Standards Code.
  • Ontario: Part VII of The Employment Standards Act, 2000.
  • Québec: Québec Employment Standards Act.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: CHAPTER L-2, Part III, Employment Standards Act.
  • New Brunswick: Part III of The Employment Standards Act.
  • Prince Edward Island: Page 18, #15 of The Employment Standards Act.
  • Nova Scotia: Labour Standards code, Scroll down to HOURS OF LABOUR.
  • Yukon Territory: Part 2 of The Employment Standards Act.
  • Northwest Territories: Part 2, The Employment Standards Act.
  • Nunavut: Part 2 of The Labour Standards Act.

Go to Canadian Employment Standards for more on working hours.