It’s one of the most exciting times of the year in the CFL: Labour Day Weekend! These are the games that just seem to matter a little more in this league.
For newer CFL fans, though, you might be asking: Why is Labour Day Weekend so important?
Why Is Labour Day Weekend So Important in the CFL?
Labour Day Weekend was not always a huge deal in the CFL. It really started becoming a tradition in the late 1940s, when some of the league’s biggest rivals began facing each other over the holiday weekend.
Matchups like Hamilton vs. Toronto, Winnipeg vs. Saskatchewan, and Calgary vs. Edmonton eventually became Labour Day traditions. Over the years, these games became about more than just the standings. They became about rivalries, bragging rights and, for many CFL fans, one of the biggest weekends of the entire season.
When you also look at the CFL calendar, this is when games in the season really start to matter. If a team is having a rough start to the season, winning on Labour Day can help flip everything around. If you’re trying to lock down a playoff spot, getting a win against your rival you’re battling with in the standings can be huge.
Winning on Labour Day can be a major factor in whether your season is considered a success or not. There are certain games CFL fans remember for years, and beating your biggest rival on Labour Day is definitely one of them.
Now let’s dive into 4 of the biggest games of the season.
BC Lions vs. Montreal Alouettes
Friday, September 4 — 7:30 PM ET
BC Lions: 6-5 | Montreal Alouettes: 9-2
We might be seeing a Grey Cup preview Friday night. The Lions have won 5 straight while the Alouettes have been the best team in the league basically all season. When you start to break down the numbers, these teams are pretty even. Montreal with the advantage via the passing game while BC’s run attack is stronger.
QB Comparison
Another thing to keep an eye on are both teams QB’s. These are two of the best in the CFL and they have yet to face each other during the time in Canada. For either team to win one of these guys will need to step up and have a big game. I will say I still feel Alexander shouldn’t be in this game. If you want more on that check out my story on that whole situation HERE
(Canadian Football League, 2026)The biggest difference when you look at these two is the interceptions. Rourke has been making some bad decisions at times this year, including last week against Ottawa, where he threw two of them. Rourke is going to need to protect the ball, while Davis Alexander needs to protect himself. He is clearly playing with an injury, and BC is going to blitz and try to get him off his game.
Players to Watch
When I think of the BC Lions, I don’t think of Rourke right now. I think of their superstar running back, Zander Horvath. Over his last 5 games, this man has been on a mission, rushing for over 100 yards in three of them. He leads the team in touchdowns and has really been the player to help turn this team in the right direction.
For Montreal, I am going off the board and taking kick returner DeVonte Dedmon. Since coming back from injury, he has been so close to breaking a kick return for 6 points, and I feel he is bound to do it soon. He is averaging just under 30 yards per kick return and 13 yards per punt return, giving Montreal good field position to start drives. It’s also an area where they have a clear advantage over the Lions.
Who Do I Think Will Win?
I think this is going to be a very close game. These are two great teams, with BC playing its best football while Montreal is coming off its worst game of the season. I think Montreal is going to bounce back and get the win in front of a sellout crowd in Montreal.
Final score: Montreal 33, BC 30.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Sunday, September 6 — 7:00 PM ET
Winnipeg Blue Bombers: 6-5 | Saskatchewan Roughriders: 7-4
When talking to CFL fans, some may feel this is the best rivalry in the league. These two teams HATE each other with a capital H. Every time Winnipeg and Saskatchewan meet, it feels like there is a little something extra, but on Labour Day Weekend, it means even more.
Earlier in the season, no one would have thought this game could determine second place in the West. But with Winnipeg starting to find its game and Saskatchewan slipping a little, here we are. Only two points separate these two teams in the standings, making this Labour Day matchup even bigger.
When looking at the head to head the Riders seem to have the clear advantage until we look at a very key defensive stats. The Blue Bombers has the clear edge in pass defense. Watch for the secondary to try to make a big play in this game.
The next thing we need to take a look at are the Qb’s on both teams. And honeslty this is a very intresting matchup.
QB Comparison
This is a fun QB matchup to me, as these are two veterans in the CFL. They both came into the CFL around the same time, and lately, both are showing that Father Time has not affected them yet.
I know when you look at the numbers, it looks like the Riders have a clear-cut advantage. However, I would not count out Zach Collaros, as he is coming off his best game of the season against Montreal. Zach went 26/32 for 324 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs.
Now, Trevor Harris is also coming off a great game last week. Harris went 23/36 for 313 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs.
I think this QB matchup is going to be a lot of fun!
Players to Watch
Looking at the Riders, I think this game is going to be a grind for them, marching down the field. Without being able to get a lot of chunk plays, we could see lots of second-and-short or third-and-short situations. Tommy Stevens time!
Stevens has turned into the best short-yardage QB in the CFL and gets used for more than just short-yardage plays. He is also used in some second-and-4 or second-and-3 situations. I could see him being a key player in getting first downs and ending drives with touchdowns.
For the Bombers, they also love to run the ball, but not with their QB. Brady Oliveira has been this team’s best player over the last few years, and he has really stepped it up of late. He has climbed to the top of the rushing leaderboard over the last few weeks. He is now sitting first in the league with just under 1,000 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. Look for him to be a difference-maker.
Who Do I Think Will Win?
This is another game that I think will come right down to the final minutes of action. The Riders are in tough with a lot of injuries to some of their top players, while Winnipeg is coming off its best game of the season.
I am going to take the underdog. I think the Blue Bombers will win this one 27-24.
Toronto Argonauts vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Monday, September 7 — 2:30 PM ET
Toronto Argonauts: 5-6 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats: 4-8
For me, this is personally my favourite game of Labour Day Weekend: the Battle of the QEW. These teams also really don’t like each other at all, from the players to the fans. It’s an intense crowd and atmosphere, and the TAD crew will be there!
Plus, this game is the ending point for the Toronto-to-Hamilton portion of the CFL Fans Fight Cancer 65KM walk, which finishes outside Tim Hortons Field before the Labour Day Classic.
Read more about the CFL Fans Fight Cancer walk HERE
Both of these teams are desperate for a win. Winning this one will make the playoff push much easier for both teams.
There’s also a pretty interesting split when you look at the numbers. Toronto has a significant statistical advantage offensively, while Hamilton has the advantage in several of the defensive categories.
One key note about Toronto’s defence is that they have improved a lot over the last few weeks. I do see them being able to hold Hamilton’s offence better than some of the stats may show.
QB Comparison
This is a strange QB comparison. Chad Kelly is always looking to make a big play with his arm, but sometimes tries to make a pass he just can’t make, causing interceptions.
Then there is Tre Ford. Someone who can make some of the craziest plays you have ever seen with his legs, but also tries to do things that just don’t make any sense.
Players to Watch
For Hamilton, the player to watch is clear and simple. It’s Wynton McManis. McManis was a humongous player for the Toronto Argos and was a key factor in their Grey Cup success. He will be looking to show them that they should not have let him move on, and he wants to be a part of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats making that next step.
Wynton McManis will need to have a major impact in this game, whether it’s creating a turnover, getting a big sack, or making a critical tackle on second down. Wynton McManis has to have a big game.
For the Toronto Argos, the player to watch is Shawn Lemon. Since coming to Toronto, Lemon has been outstanding. He is tied for the league lead in sacks with eight, and he has made a humongous difference for this Argonauts defence.
I’m looking for Shawn Lemon to have one, if not two sacks in this game and be a key factor in slowing down Tre Ford’s mobility, something he did very well the last time these two teams played.
So Who Will Win?
I think this game will have a bit of a bigger point spread than the other two. This game is very important for both teams. However, I think Hamilton is just a little too banged up.
Without Bo Levi Mitchell, I just don’t see them taking down the Toronto Argonauts. The season series is split, but realistically, the first game should have been won by Toronto, and in the second game, Toronto really showed they are the better team.
I’m taking the Toronto Argonauts to win 34-20.
Edmonton Elks vs. Calgary Stampeders
Monday, September 7 — 6:00 PM ET
Edmonton Elks: 8-3 | Calgary Stampeders: 5-6
So, they say save the best for last, and this is a battle with a deep history. Edmonton is looking to keep up with their amazing season, while the Stampeders really need to stack some wins together to stay in the playoff race.
Now, if you asked me at the start of the season I would have figured Calgary would be doing better than Edmonton. However, this has changed as seen below.
Besides points scored, Edmonton is leading in almost every stat, and this shows even more on the defensive side. Edmonton’s defence has been one of the best in the entire league. Looking at just the numbers it would seem Edmonton has this one but I gotta say, games are played on the field not the stat sheet.
QB Comparison
So here is where the QB matchup is a little harder to figure out. We know Edmonton will be starting Cody Fajardo. Who is really having his best season I think he has ever had. Fajardo has thrown for 3,368 yards, 18 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions, while completing over 70% of his passes.
And we have already seen what this man can do against one of his many former teams. Fajardo went off against Saskatchewan, throwing for a monster 510 yards and 4 touchdowns. Could he do the same against Calgary? He knows just how much winning on Labour Day against the Stampeders means to the city of Edmonton, and I expect him to be ready to go.
Calgary is the harder one to figure out. Vernon Adams Jr. has been their starter all year and has played really well. Adams Jr. has thrown for 2,548 yards, 22 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions, while completing 64.1% of his passes. Although his completion percentage is a little low, he has thrown the fewest interceptions in the league and has not thrown one against 8 of the 9 teams.
And trust me, as an Argos fan, I have seen what Adams can do when he gets going. Earlier this season against Toronto, he absolutely went off, throwing for 405 yards and 6 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. So if Adams Jr. is healthy and ready to go on Labour Day, Edmonton better be ready because this man can take over a game.
If Adams can’t play, it will be Josh Love making his second start of the year. Love had a pretty good game last week vs the Tiger Cats. Love went 25/36 for 274 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception against Hamilton. Nothing crazy, but he did what he needed to do and helped Calgary get the win.
Players to Watch
The players to watch in this game are plain and simple. For both teams, it’s their running backs.
For Calgary, it’s Dedrick Mills. Mills is the cornerstone of this offence, whether VA is healthy or not. Mills is second in the league in rushing with 874 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He has a major impact on this offence, and Calgary will be looking to get him going early.
For Edmonton, sticking with the running backs, it’s Justin Rankin. Rankin has slipped a little bit in the stats but has still rushed for 791 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The big thing for him is he has had 29 rushes of over 10 yards, adding eight touchdowns on the ground.
Plus, he has been a very impactful player in the Elks’ receiving corps. Rankin is third on the team in receiving yards with 527 yards, including three catches of over 30 yards and one touchdown, while averaging 11.7 yards per catch.
Both of these running backs will be looking to have a major impact on this game.
So Who Wins?
I think this game will really depend on the quarterbacks, but in a way, it won’t. I think Calgary can still keep this game close even if Josh Love is starting over Vernon Adams Jr. And if they have Vernon Adams Jr., they might be able to win this one.
However, I am taking the Edmonton Elks because I just feel they are the better team all around. But this will be the closest game of the weekend.
I’m taking the Edmonton Elks, 29-28 over the Calgary Stampeders.
