Working Time Rules: Canada
Canada: standard working hours, overtime, rest, annual leave, and record-keeping rules - a practical overview, not legal advice.
Statutory working time
For employees covered by federal labour standards, standard hours are generally eight a day and forty a week. Overtime and maximum-hour rules are separate; provincial rules apply to most other workplaces.
Overtime
Overtime is generally paid at 1.5x after 40, 44, or 48 hours a week, depending on the jurisdiction, and some provinces also add daily overtime. Employment standards are mostly provincial or territorial, with federal rules for federally regulated sectors, so specifics vary.
Rest periods
Under the Canada Labour Code, which covers federally regulated employers, an employee gets at least 8 consecutive hours of rest between shifts and an unpaid break of at least 30 minutes in every 5 consecutive hours of work. That break is paid if the employer requires the employee to stay at its disposal during it. Everywhere else, rest, breaks, and days off are set by the province or territory.
Record-keeping
Federally regulated employers must make and keep the prescribed records for at least 36 months after the work is performed, and have them available for inspection. Provincial and territorial employers keep records under their own employment-standards legislation.
What to check before you rely on this
- The current statutory limits, reference periods, and any opt-outs.
- Sector or collective-agreement rules that may override the defaults.
- How overtime is authorised, recorded, and compensated.
- What working-time records you must keep and for how long.