Canadians May Not Get A Day Off Work To Mourn The Queen & Here's What We Know So Far
It's usually down to the prime minister to make the call.
Queen Elizabeth II has died and it means Canadians could be given a statutory holiday to mourn her and to celebrate her life.
On September 8, representatives from the royal family confirmed that the queen had died peacefully in Balmoral, Scotland, one of her favourite places.
Her family, including Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Charles, and Camilla all rushed to be with her on Thursday.
In a statement, the palace said, "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
What this means for Canada is that a new monarch will come onto the scene, and a number of other processes will quickly come into effect.
In normal circumstances, it could also mean that Canadians would get an additional day off work to mourn the queen and reflect on her life.
The Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada says that, in the event a sovereign dies, the prime minister must convene parliament.
Then, per the National Post, the PM must pass a resolution expressing “loyalty and sympathy” to the next monarch, which, in this case, would be Charles, and then adjourn.
After this, the usual plan is to issue an Order in Council declaring an official day of mourning, to take place on the day of the funeral.
Obviously, it's worth keeping in mind that there isn't much of a "usual" plan in these circumstances, as Queen Elizabeth II has been monarch for the past 70 years.
Essentially though, it's going to be over to Justin Trudeau to confirm what happens next in terms of a day off.
The queen's funeral usually takes place 10 days after her death, per protocol, after a traditional period of mourning in the U.K.
As it stands, this would fall on a Sunday. TimeOut says that in the U.K., if the funeral falls on the weekend, a stat holiday will not be granted.
This means it would be up to the discretion of individual institutions and businesses to decide whether to close.
And, it's likely that if people in the U.K. don't get an extra day off for mourning, people in Canada may not either.
However, Canadian protocol expert and author Christopher McCreery told the National Post that, "It would be a pretty significant break with tradition for there not to be a day of mourning that is a holiday."
And, in either circumstance, a day off wouldn't be called a "stat holiday." Instead, it would likely be known as a Day of Mourning, as that is what was agreed by the queen herself and the British prime minister in 2021.
Ultimately, it still remains to be confirmed whether or not Canadians will get a national holiday on the day of the Queen's funeral.
What is for sure, is that all Canadian flags will be flown at half-mast on all federal buildings in Canada, including the Peace Tower.
They'll remain this way from the announcement of the queen's death until sunset on the day of the funeral or the memorial service.