The Sask. Party government remains non-committal on whether or not National Indigenous Day will become a provincially recognized holiday.
It looks like the day will now become a federal statutory holiday by next summer, after Northern Saskatchewan NDP MP Georgina Jolibois’ private member’s bill passed second reading in Parliament last week.
However, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says a number of things would have to be considered before the province would officially recognize the day as a statutory holiday.
“It gets into a much larger conversation with respect to the number of holidays have here in the Province of Saskatchewan to begin with,” he says. “We start at three weeks holiday here in Saskatchewan, many other areas of the nation start with two weeks holidays. We have 10 statutory holidays. I think that’s tied for the most statutory holidays of any province in the nation. So, there is that other conversation from the business and competitive perspective.”
For his part, the municipal leader of Saskatchewan’s largest city, Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark, says he is in support of National Indigenous Day becoming a provincial statutory holiday as part of the reconciliation process.
“I do see the value of having it as a holiday,” he says. “We act and respond as a city in this case, these are decisions made by other levels of government, but I would support it if they made the decision to do that.”
Jolibois is the MP for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River.
Her private member’s bill would see June 21, the first day of summer, recognized as a federal statutory holiday in recognition of National Indigenous Day.
(PHOTO: Scott Moe. Photo courtesy of saskparty.com)