Canada announces federal holiday to mark Queen's funeral on Sept. 19

The date of Queen Elizabeth's funeral will be marked in Canada with a national holiday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.

Unless the provinces come on board with the plan, only federally regulated workers will get the day off work — similar to the way Remembrance Day is observed. About 85 to 90 per cent of workers are regulated by provincial governments.

Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business [CFIB], reacted swiftly to the news by urging provinces to reject the move.

In the United Kingdom, a bank holiday has been announced for the funeral date that will see government services and schools shuttered. Businesses will not be required to close or compensate employees.

Both New Zealand and Australia, however, have declared that they will hold one-time-only national holidays to mark the occasion.