Do we remember Empire Day? You could say we, in Canada, still celebrate it, and it is this week end that we do so. In southern Ontario it is considered the time when winter and frosts are definitely a thing of the past and all sorts of non- hardy plants can be put to bed, and a number of people open up their northern cottages. David Victoria Day In Canada, the celebration of Victoria Day occurs every year on Monday, prior to May 25th. It is the official celebration in Canada of the birthdays of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Day was established as a holiday in Canada West (Now Ontario) in 1845, and became a national holiday in 1901. Before Victoria Day became a national Holiday, people had celebrated Empire Day , beginning in the 1890s as Victoria approached her Diamond jubilee in 1897.