Federal court holidays

Where this list comes from

The days that are holidays under rule 2 of the Federal Courts Rules, which counts every Saturday and adopts the definition in s. 35(1) of the Interpretation Act (Canada). Rule 2 moves New Year's Day, Canada Day and Remembrance Day to the following Monday when they fall on a weekend, gives Christmas the following Monday and Tuesday, and gives a Friday Christmas the following Monday. 26 December is not on this list: the registries do close, but neither the Rules nor s. 35(1) name it, so it is not a holiday for computing time outside a province whose own Act makes it non-juridical. Separately, rule 6(3) takes the whole seasonal recess out of the computation of time for filing, amending, transmitting or serving a document, and rule 2 defines that recess as 21 December to 7 January, which no list of single days can show.

Every instrument below was opened and the provision quoted from it read on 12 August 2026. Anything amended since that date is not reflected here, and the dates are generated from a table in this site's source code rather than read live from the statute.

• Federal Courts Rules, SOR/98-106, rule 2Defines holiday as a Saturday, a holiday under s. 35(1) of the Interpretation Act, the Monday after a weekend New Year's Day, Canada Day or Remembrance Day, the Monday and Tuesday after a weekend Christmas, and the Monday after a Friday Christmas. Also defines the seasonal recess as 21 December to 7 January.
• Federal Courts Rules, SOR/98-106, rule 6Computation of time. Rule 6(2) takes holidays out of a period of less than seven days; rule 6(3) takes every day of the seasonal recess out of the time for filing, amending, transmitting or serving a document.
• Interpretation Act, RSC 1985, c I-21, s. 35(1)The list rule 2 adopts: Sunday, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, the Sovereign's birthday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day, and any day proclaimed for general prayer, mourning, rejoicing or thanksgiving.
• Courts Administration Service, registry holidaysThe days the registries are shut, which is a different list and is why 26 December is absent above. It closes on 26 December and on the Civic Holiday in most provinces; rule 2 names neither.

The table cannot know about a day proclaimed after it was written, a closure at your own courthouse, or an amendment to the underlying rules. Confirm any date that a limitation period or a filing deadline depends on.

This page is published for general information. It is not legal advice, it does not create a solicitor-client relationship, and no retainer arises from reading it. To the fullest extent the law allows, Yehuda Levy accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on it. You are responsible for verifying every date against the rules and the court in question.