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Calendar · mandatory annual holidays
Construction holiday: the official dates in Québec.
Two two-week periods a year, Sunday to Saturday, mandatory across the whole industry covered by the R-20 Act. Here is the calendar through 2029, the statutory holidays, and how the 13% vacation pay works.
Next period
Winter holidays 2026-2027
From Sunday, December 20, 2026 to Saturday, January 2, 2027, inclusive.
In 112 days. Covered sites shut down on Sunday, December 20.
The calendar
Every period, through 2029.
The mandatory annual holidays last fourteen days, Sunday to Saturday inclusive.
| Year | Summer holidays | Winter holidays |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, July 19, 2026 to Saturday, August 1, 2026 | Sunday, December 20, 2026 to Saturday, January 2, 2027 |
| 2027 | Sunday, July 25, 2027 to Saturday, August 7, 2027 | Sunday, December 19, 2027 to Saturday, January 1, 2028 |
| 2028 | Sunday, July 23, 2028 to Saturday, August 5, 2028 | Sunday, December 24, 2028 to Saturday, January 6, 2029 |
Source: the APCHQ holiday calendar, the employer association that signs the collective agreements — retrieved on August 30, 2026 and cross-checked against CSN-Construction, FIPOE and Local 929. The dates are set by the industry's collective agreements under the R-20 Act.
Vacation pay
The 13% never shows up on your weekly cheque.
Your employer remits an amount equal to 13% of gross wages to the Commission de la construction du Québec, covering annual holidays and the sick days set out in the agreements. The CCQ pays it out in two instalments: at the end of June and the end of November.
For a journeyperson carpenter at $45.76 an hour, 40 hours a week, that comes to roughly $12,373.50 a year — about $6,186.75 twice a year.
Keeping work going
The holidays are mandatory, but some work can continue — new buildings in light residential, for example — if crews are notified in time and agree in writing.
- Summer holidays: notify before June 1.
- Winter holidays: notify before November 1.
- Making up the days, summer: between July 1 and August 31.
- Making up the days, winter: between December 1 and January 31.
Statutory holidays
The industry's paid holidays.
Worked, these days can be paid as overtime: a 50% premium in light residential, 100% in heavy residential.
| Statutory holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | Friday, April 3, 2026 | Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Easter Monday | Monday, April 6, 2026 | Monday, March 29, 2027 |
| National Patriots’ Day | Monday, May 18, 2026 | Monday, May 24, 2027 |
| Québec National Holiday | Wednesday, June 24, 2026 | Thursday, June 24, 2027 |
| Canada Day | Friday, July 3, 2026 | Friday, July 2, 2027 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 7, 2026 | Monday, September 6, 2027 |
| Thanksgiving | Monday, October 12, 2026 | Monday, October 11, 2027 |
| Remembrance Day | Friday, November 13, 2026 | Friday, November 12, 2027 |
Source: APCHQ, statutory holidays set out in the collective agreements of Québec's construction industry — retrieved on August 30, 2026.
Frequently asked
The construction holiday, in plain terms.
What are the construction holiday dates in Québec?
Québec's mandatory construction holidays are two two-week periods a year, running Sunday to Saturday. For 2026, the summer period ran from Sunday, July 19 to Saturday, August 1, 2026 and the winter period runs from Sunday, December 20, 2026 to Saturday, January 2, 2027. For 2027, summer runs from Sunday, July 25 to Saturday, August 7, 2027 and winter from Sunday, December 19, 2027 to Saturday, January 1, 2028. For 2028, summer runs from Sunday, July 23 to Saturday, August 5, 2028 and winter from Sunday, December 24, 2028 to Saturday, January 6, 2029.
Do all construction sites close during the construction holiday?
No. The holidays are mandatory, but the collective agreements allow exceptions depending on the type of work. In the light residential sector, for instance, work on new buildings may continue if crews are notified in time and agree in writing: before June 1 for the summer holidays, before November 1 for the winter ones. The days off must then be made up within the same year, between July 1 and August 31 for summer and between December 1 and January 31 for winter.
How does vacation pay work in Québec construction?
Your employer does not pay the vacation indemnity on each weekly cheque. It remits an amount equal to 13% of gross wages to the Commission de la construction du Québec, covering the annual holidays and the sick days set out in the collective agreements. The CCQ then pays that money out to workers in two instalments, at the end of June and the end of November. It is wages you already earned — just deferred.
How much is the 13% vacation pay worth?
It depends on your gross earnings for the year. For a journeyperson carpenter at $45.76 an hour, 40 hours a week, the indemnity works out to roughly $12,373.50 a year, paid in two instalments — about $6,186.75 at the end of June and the same at the end of November.
Am I paid if I work on a statutory holiday?
Hours worked on a statutory holiday can count as overtime under the collective agreements. In the light residential sector they are paid at a 50% premium — time and a half; in heavy residential the premium is 100%, meaning double time.
Who sets the construction holiday dates?
They are set by the collective agreements of Québec's construction industry, negotiated by the employer and union associations under the R-20 Act. They are not the employer's choice: both annual holiday periods are mandatory across the whole industry covered by the Act.