December 6, 2026 in Canada: Flags at Half-Mast Sunrise to Sunset

Flags on federal buildings in Canada, including the Peace Tower, are half-masted from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Canadian Heritage lists the day among its Special Days in “Rules for half-masting the National Flag of Canada”. As of Nov. 8, 2026, its half-masting notices page lists notices up to Remembrance Day on Nov. 11 and none yet for Dec. 6.

What the federal rule says about Dec. 6

The masting rules list “December 6, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women” as a Special Day. On Special Days the flag is half-masted “on all federal buildings and establishments in Canada, including the Peace Tower, from sunrise to sunset”. The rules page is the federal source; provinces and cities follow their own directions, covered below.

Why are flags half-masted on Dec. 6?

Women and Gender Equality Canada says: “It has been over 30 years since the murder of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal (December 6, 1989).” It adds that “this act of violent misogyny shook our country and led Parliament to designate December 6 as The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.”

The National Day of Remembrance Act (S.C. 1991, c. 36) was assented to on Oct. 29, 1991. Section 2 says “Throughout Canada, in each and every year, the 6th day of December shall be known under the name of ‘National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women’”. The Act names the day. It does not create a holiday.

Federal half-mast days, Dec. 2026 to Dec. 2027

Canadian Heritage’s Special Days that fall in the next 12 months are below, with weekdays computed from the calendar. The two September Sundays follow the “second Sunday” and “last Sunday” wording in the rules.

Date	Weekday	Special Day
Dec. 6, 2026	Sunday	National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Apr. 9, 2027	Friday	Vimy Ridge Day (Peace Tower only)
Apr. 28, 2027	Wednesday	Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace
Jun. 23, 2027	Wednesday	National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism
Sep. 12, 2027	Sunday	Firefighters’ National Memorial Day (second Sunday in September)
Sep. 26, 2027	Sunday	Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day (last Sunday in September)
Sep. 30, 2027	Thursday	National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Nov. 11, 2027	Thursday	Remembrance Day
Dec. 6, 2027	Monday	National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Dec. 6 falls on a Sunday in 2026 and a Monday in 2027. The printable lists these days except the two September Sundays, which the rules give as weekday rules and the sheet prints as a note; the December 2026 printable calendar and the printable yearly calendar show the dates in a month grid.

How do the federal, Ontario and British Columbia rules compare?

Government	What it says about Dec. 6	Year of the source
Canada (Canadian Heritage)	Flag half-masted on all federal buildings and establishments in Canada, including the Peace Tower, sunrise to sunset	Rules page, checked Nov. 8, 2026
Ontario	“Ontario annually half-masts flags from sunrise to sunset” on Dec. 6	Page updated Sept. 25, 2026
British Columbia	“Canadian flags on all B.C. government buildings will be flown at half-mast on December 6, … from sunrise until sunset”	Deputy Minister’s Bulletin, Dec. 2, 2022

The British Columbia line is the province’s 2022 direction; a 2026 notice had not been posted. For the same remembrance season, the November story on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days covers the campaign that runs “November 25 to December 10”, per Women and Gender Equality Canada. The 2026 theme has not been announced.

What happens in Montréal on Dec. 6?

The City of Montréal has not announced its 2026 commemoration. In 2024, according to its release of Dec. 5, 2024, the 14 light beams on Mount Royal were lit at 5:10 p.m., and a ceremony was held at the chalet du Mont-Royal. The hero photo is a file photo of a past commemoration, year unknown.

What else is half-masted in Canada this month?

Remembrance Day on Nov. 11 is also a Special Day; see Remembrance Day 2026 in Canada and the UK. A comparable U.S. flag day the next day is covered in Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2026, which falls on Monday, Dec. 7.