Proposed Holidays in Canada
Proposed holidays in Canada
In recent years there has been a call for the Canadian government to recognize St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday. Currently, it is an official holiday only in Newfoundland and Labrador. This proposal has been promoted by the Guinness corporation.
The other leading candidate for a new holiday is a weekend in February to celebrate the anniversary of the Canadian flag, or more likely a general “Heritage Day”. February 15 is already designated as Flag Day, but this is simply a day of commemoration, not a statutory holiday.
The major Canadian breweries have long lobbied for a holiday in June.
Some Canadians believe that the country does not have enough holidays (in comparison to the United States and the United Kingdom), and although these nations have about the same number of nationally recognized holidays, they generally receive more days off work and school). Proposals for more work holidays are strongly opposed by many employers, however.
In the province of Nova Scotia, there has been debate over a statutory holiday in February, due to a lack of days off. However, no action has been taken so far.
Other observances
- National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6*-
- Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27
- National Aboriginal Solidarity Day on June 21
- Commonwealth Day on the second Monday in March. This has been observed as a holiday in some Commonwealth countries.
