Manitoba premier says new reconciliation holiday could happen this fall
Manitoba could have a new statutory holiday to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by September, Premier Heather Stefanson says.
"Certainly, I would like to move on it and I just want to make sure we go through a respectful consultation process," Stefanson said in an interview this week.
"I don't want to see it as (just) a holiday. This is about a remembrance of truth and reconciliation."
The day -- also known as Orange Shirt Day -- was established in honour of the experience of Phyllis Webstad, whose gift of clothing from her grandmother was taken away on Webstad's first day at a residential school.
The federal government recently made the day, which falls on Sept. 30, a statutory holiday for its workers and federally regulated workplaces.
Manitoba already marks the day by closing schools and many non-essential government offices. Stefanson said last December the province would consult Indigenous groups, the business community and others about making the day a statutory holiday for workers regulated provincially.
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce said it is on board with the idea after talking to its members
"Seven in 10 of our members indicated yes," chamber president Loren Remillard said.
"Half of the businesses, regardless of what the province does, would close or restrict their hours."
Remillard echoed Stefanson's aim of working to ensure the day is more than a paid day off for workers and would instead involve ceremonies or education. The chamber closed its doors to the public last Sept. 30 and required staff to take online training about reconciliation.
"We closed for a purpose," he said.
The idea of a provincial holiday was pushed by the Opposition New Democrats last year.
Getting it in place for this Sept. 30 would require a bill to be rushed through the legislature, which is not scheduled to sit again until Sept. 28. Stefanson said quick passage can be achieved with all political parties on board.
"I think if there's a will, there's a way."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.