St. Augustine's Anglican Church

Second reading
Ephesians 1:15-23

Gospel Reading
Luke 24:44-43

Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria, who is known as the "Mother of Confederation". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Victoria's natural birthday, May 24. It now falls on the Monday between the 18th and the 24th (inclusive) and, so, is always the penultimate Monday of May (May 18 in 2026 and May 24 in 2027). Victoria Day is a federal statutory holiday, as well as a holiday in six of Canada's ten provinces and all three of its territories. The holiday has always been a distinctly Canadian observance and continues to be celebrated across the country. It is informally considered the start of the summer season in Canada.

Shortly after the Canadas were united into the Province of Canada, the Parliament sought to create a new public holiday that would form common ground between English and French Canadians, helping them transcend their religious and cultural differences. The birthday of Queen Victoria was selected to be transformed into a public holiday, as it was a date that appealed to both English and French Canadians. At the time, loyalty to the Crown was seen as a key trait that distinguished Canada from the United States and the monarchy was viewed as a "guarantor of minority rights" in the colony. The Queen's birthday was officially designated as a public holiday by legislation passed in 1845, transforming the date from a military event to a civilian holiday and making it Canada's now-oldest official holiday.

Crowds gather outsideGovernment House in Toronto, Canada West (now Ontario) on Victoria Day 1854.

The day had become a "patriotic holiday" by the 1890s. Amid theVictoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, the Senate passed a bill that aimed to fix the Queen's birthday in perpetuity as a holiday in her honour. It was sent to the House of Commons, where it languished as a private member's bill without government support. It was not until after Victoria's death in May 1901 that the Queen's Birthday was made a perpetual statutory holiday by which to remember the late Queen, who was deemed the "Mother of Confederation"Some members of Parliament proposed the holiday keep the name Queen's Birthday, while others proposed changing it to Queen Victoria Day or Victorian Empire Day. The name Victoria Day was selected by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, who wanted to avoid an imperialist name that would antagonize French Canadians The Crown-in-Council, the following year, designated May 24 as the official birthday of King Edward VII.

Most workplaces in Canada are regulated by the provincial or territorial governments. Therefore, although Victoria Day is a statutory holiday for federal purposes, whether an employee is entitled to a paid day off generally depends on the province or territory of residence (with the exception of employees in federally regulated workplaces such as banks).

Victoria Day celebrations have been marred by major tragedy at least twice. In 1881, the passenger ferry Victoria overturned in theThames River near London, Ontario. The boat departed in the evening with 600 to 800 people on board—three times the allowed passenger capacity—and capsized partway across the river, drowning some 182 individuals, including a large number of children who had been with their families for Victoria Day picnics at Springbank Park. The event came to be known as the "Victoria Day Disaster".

The Point Ellice Bridge disaster occurred in Victoria, British Columbia on May 26, 1896, when a bridge collapsed under the weight of a streetcar overloaded with passengers on their way to attend Victoria Day celebrations.