Northern MPP calls for Sept 30 to be stat holiday in Ontario
Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa wants to make Sept. 30 a statutory holiday in Ontario.
Truth and Reconciliation Day is already a federal government’s calendar, but it’s not a stat for every province.
Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa has introduced a private member's bill at the Ontario legislature to make Sept. 30 a statutory holiday in Ontario. (Photo from video)
On Thursday, Mamakwa introduced Bill 221, his private member’s bill, at Queen’s Park. If passed, it would create a Day of Reflection for Indian Residential School marked all across the province.
"Making sure that it's not just a day off, but it's a day on," Mamakwa said.
"It's a day on for reconciliation. It's a day on for reflection. It's a day on for healing. It's a day on for truth."
The federal government created the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021 to honour First Nation, Inuit and Metis people.
It provides public commemoration of their history and the legacy of residential schools. Sept. 30 is a statutory holiday in B.C., Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
"Truth and reconciliation should not be business as usual," said Sudbury MPP Jamie West.
"This bill is about equal access. We want everyone from the public sector and the private sector and schoolchildren to be able to participate fully in these events because truth and reconciliation is a collective endeavour."
Most communities in Ontario hold events on Truth and Reconciliation Day, but employers don’t have to give workers the day off.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
"Those of us who are the grandchildren and children of these survivors, a statutory day of reflection gives us the ability to be with our families and communities so that we can collectively grieve, so that we can collectively honour the resilience of our loved ones, and so that we can collectively heal," said human rights activist Cassandra Spade.
"Some of our history is painful history, and some of us have gone through horrific times. But it's a time of reflection also where we remember that we're a resilient people, that we've made it through," said Anishinaabe Elder Darrell Boissoneau of Garden River First Nation.
Mamakwa and the others who joined him for the news conference Thursday said a Day of Reflection in Ontario would provide a chance to move reconciliation efforts forward.
"We’re going to be walking together in a road to reconciliation that we need to be at," he said.
"Ontario is going to be a better place because of it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
King Charles III focuses Christmas message on healthcare workers in year marked by royal illnesses
King Charles III used his annual Christmas message Wednesday to hail the selflessness of those who have cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year, after both were diagnosed with cancer.
Azerbaijani airliner crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 with 29 survivors, officials say
An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors, a Kazakh official said.
Second storm incoming for Christmas Day in southern B.C.
Environment Canada has issued a new series of weather warnings for British Columbia’s south coast Christmas morning.
Pope urges 'all people of all nations' to silence arms and overcome divisions in Christmas address
Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged 'all people of all nations' to find courage during this Holy Year 'to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions' plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.
What is Christmas like for Quebec health-care workers who stay on the job?
Most Quebecers get together with family and friends on Christmas Eve, but many professions require people to remain on the job at all times, including health-care workers.
Mother-daughter duo pursuing university dreams at the same time
For one University of Windsor student, what is typically a chance to gain independence from her parents has become a chance to spend more time with her biggest cheerleader — her mom.
Read Trudeau's Christmas message
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his Christmas message on Tuesday. Here is his message in full.
Man dead, woman in hospital after overnight housefire in Scarborough
An elderly man has died after being pulled from a two-alarm house fire in Scarborough Christmas morning.
A look back and ahead at the stories making news in men's hockey
Connor McDavid was in tears. The Edmonton Oilers had given everything they could in a hard-fought Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers.