Bereavement leave · Canada
Bereavement leave by province.
How many days of bereavement leave each Canadian jurisdiction requires, whether they are paid and the service you need to qualify.
Statutory bereavement leave runs from 2 days in Ontario to 10 under the Canada Labour Code. Paid days are the exception: Quebec (2 of 5), Prince Edward Island (1), Newfoundland and Labrador (1) and federal work (3 of 10).
Choose your jurisdiction
Bereavement Leave, jurisdiction by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 2 unpaid days a year |
| Quebec | 5 days, 2 of them paid |
| British Columbia | 3 unpaid days |
| Alberta | 3 unpaid days a year |
| Manitoba | 5 unpaid days |
| Saskatchewan | 5 unpaid days |
| Nova Scotia | 5 working days, unpaid |
| New Brunswick | 5 consecutive calendar days, unpaid |
| Prince Edward Island | 1 paid day plus 2 unpaid for immediate family; 3 unpaid otherwise |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 3 days with 1 paid (2 unpaid under 30 days) |
| Northwest Territories | 3 days in the community or 7 outside it, unpaid |
| Federal | 10 days, the first 3 paid after 3 months |
Not covered on this page
- Nunavut: the Labour Standards Act consolidation published on gov.nu.ca (current to 13 June 2022) contains no bereavement-leave provision, so no entitlement is listed.
- Yukon: yukon.ca and laws.yukon.ca refused automated access on 19 October 2026 (a Cloudflare challenge on every request), so no Yukon figure is published here.
Sources: each jurisdiction’s own employment standards Act or government guide, read directly 19 October 2026. The exact pages are linked on each jurisdiction’s page.
Frequently asked questions
Which jurisdictions pay for any bereavement days?
Quebec pays 2 of its 5 days with no minimum service, Prince Edward Island pays 1 day for an immediate family member, Newfoundland and Labrador pays 1 of 3 days after 30 days of service, and the Canada Labour Code pays the first 3 of 10 days after 3 consecutive months. The rest give unpaid leave only.
Is the leave per death or per year?
It varies. Ontario and Alberta count days per calendar year, not per death, while Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Territories frame the entitlement around each death or funeral. The page for each jurisdiction shows how its source describes it.
Who counts as family?
Each source defines the relatives who qualify, and the lists differ. Check the source linked on your jurisdiction’s page for the exact list before taking the leave.
Reference only — not legal advice
This page states the statutory bereavement leave entitlement from the published employment-standards legislation or the government’s own guide, read on 19 October 2026. It is not legal advice, does not model a collective agreement or an individual contract, and rules change. For a binding answer, contact the employment standards office named in the source or a lawyer.