HomePrivate member's bill
2 posters
Page 1 of 1
Private member's bill
by Wolfman Thu 15 Feb 2018, 8:13 pm
Private member's bill which makes Remembrance Day a ‘legal holiday’ faces resistance from Canadian Legion
The bill’s sponsor hopes to coax the remaining provinces into making Nov. 11 a day off for everyone — exactly what Legion officials don’t want
STUART THOMSON
Published on: February 15, 2018
It’s a question that splits the country down the middle, with six provinces and all three territories deeming Remembrance Day a statutory holiday and four provinces — Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba — holding out.
The federal government can’t force a holiday on the provinces, but a recent private member’s bill will tweak Canada’s holiday legislation and — its sponsor hopes — coax the remaining provinces into making Nov. 11 a day off for everyone.
The bill fixes an odd discrepancy in the country’s Holidays Act, which says that Canada Day and Victoria Day are “legal holidays” and Remembrance Day is simply a “holiday.”
Why the law was drafted that way is a question lost to history.
“We had no way of knowing when looking at this bill if this was … an oversight or if it was the intention of the framers to give Remembrance Day a lesser recognition,” said Sen. Joseph Day, the leader of the Senate Liberals, during debate on the law.
After passing third reading in the Senate this week, the bill is awaiting royal assent before it becomes law.
The bill breezed through the House and the Senate, in part because it simply put Remembrance Day on equal footing with the other holidays and nothing more. But the change has been met with resistance from the Royal Canadian Legion, which is worried it could spur the remaining provinces to make the day a stat holiday.
At committee, the Legion argued schools provide structure and ensure kids are attending some kind of event on Nov. 11.
Brad White, the national executive director of the Legion, pointed out that Christmas shopping tends to kick off after Remembrance Day and a stat holiday might encourage people to hit the malls, rather than observe the holiday. He said the issue comes up every so often at their conventions and the delegates always vote against the idea.
“It’s like Canada Day or anything else, people just tend to not go to participate in events and we’re afraid that if it’s a national holiday people will just find better things to do,” said White.
Fraser said the solution is to get the best of both worlds. In provinces where Remembrance Day is already a stat holiday, schools hold a ceremony the day, or week, before and then students can also attend events in the community.
“It does allow them to make it a family event and be there with veterans on Nov. 11, but they can still learn about it on the week leading up (in schools), and in practice, that’s what happens in places where people do have time off on the eleventh,” said Fraser.
White said the Legion has seen a steady increase in turnout to recent events, which he attributes partly to the fact that the war in Afghanistan saw reservists called up for active duty in a way that hadn’t happened in decades and which would be fresh in the memory of younger Canadians.
“It’s really a varied crowd that’s out there nowadays, with a lot of young people, too,” he said.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/private-members-bill-which-makes-remembrance-day-a-legal-holiday-faces-resistance-from-canadian-legion/wcm/16079ec3-deaa-467e-af3c-653f386c3c9f
The bill’s sponsor hopes to coax the remaining provinces into making Nov. 11 a day off for everyone — exactly what Legion officials don’t want
STUART THOMSONPublished on: February 15, 2018
Do Canadians need a paid day off to honour the
sacrifices of veterans?
sacrifices of veterans?
It’s a question that splits the country down the middle, with six provinces and all three territories deeming Remembrance Day a statutory holiday and four provinces — Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba — holding out.
The federal government can’t force a holiday on the provinces, but a recent private member’s bill will tweak Canada’s holiday legislation and — its sponsor hopes — coax the remaining provinces into making Nov. 11 a day off for everyone.
The bill fixes an odd discrepancy in the country’s Holidays Act, which says that Canada Day and Victoria Day are “legal holidays” and Remembrance Day is simply a “holiday.”
Why the law was drafted that way is a question lost to history.
“We had no way of knowing when looking at this bill if this was … an oversight or if it was the intention of the framers to give Remembrance Day a lesser recognition,” said Sen. Joseph Day, the leader of the Senate Liberals, during debate on the law.
After passing third reading in the Senate this week, the bill is awaiting royal assent before it becomes law.
The bill breezed through the House and the Senate, in part because it simply put Remembrance Day on equal footing with the other holidays and nothing more. But the change has been met with resistance from the Royal Canadian Legion, which is worried it could spur the remaining provinces to make the day a stat holiday.
At committee, the Legion argued schools provide structure and ensure kids are attending some kind of event on Nov. 11.
Brad White, the national executive director of the Legion, pointed out that Christmas shopping tends to kick off after Remembrance Day and a stat holiday might encourage people to hit the malls, rather than observe the holiday. He said the issue comes up every so often at their conventions and the delegates always vote against the idea.
“It’s like Canada Day or anything else, people just tend to not go to participate in events and we’re afraid that if it’s a national holiday people will just find better things to do,” said White.
Fraser said the solution is to get the best of both worlds. In provinces where Remembrance Day is already a stat holiday, schools hold a ceremony the day, or week, before and then students can also attend events in the community.
“It does allow them to make it a family event and be there with veterans on Nov. 11, but they can still learn about it on the week leading up (in schools), and in practice, that’s what happens in places where people do have time off on the eleventh,” said Fraser.
White said the Legion has seen a steady increase in turnout to recent events, which he attributes partly to the fact that the war in Afghanistan saw reservists called up for active duty in a way that hadn’t happened in decades and which would be fresh in the memory of younger Canadians.
“It’s really a varied crowd that’s out there nowadays, with a lot of young people, too,” he said.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/private-members-bill-which-makes-remembrance-day-a-legal-holiday-faces-resistance-from-canadian-legion/wcm/16079ec3-deaa-467e-af3c-653f386c3c9f
Wolfman- News Coordinator
- Posts : 297
Join date : 2017-12-08
Re: Private member's bill
by Trooper Sat 17 Feb 2018, 8:25 am
Quebec vets push to make Remembrance Day a statutory holiday
CTV Montreal
Published Friday, February 16, 2018
A group of veterans is pushing for Quebec to adopt Remembrance Day as an official statutory holiday.
“It would commemorate in a more official fashion the sacrifices our veterans have made and including their families,” said veteran Kenneth Ouellet, Quebec provincial command of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Canadian Parliament recently adopted private bill, Bill C-311, that will turn Nov. 11 into an official Canada-wide holiday, as is currently the case in most provinces.
The Canadian Legion, however, is officially against C-311, fearing that the significance of Remembrance Day will turn into a meaningless day off for a majority of Canadians if they have the day off.
“In the provinces where there is time off, people actually go to the ceremonies, there's an increase in attendances,” said Colin Fraser, federal MP for West Nova, who sponsored the private member's bill.
The Quebec provincial command supports the bill.
“If you have Canada and Quebec able to have our rights, it's because others made sacrifices for them,” said Ouellet, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 41 years.
Despite the bill’s adoption, provinces still have the final word on making Nov. 11 a day off.
Quebec employers say they can't afford to pay additional statutory holidays to their workers.
“The question is not, ‘Is it important or not?’ The question is, ‘Do we have to add a new statutory day?’ As employers, I would say most employers will certainly not be in favour of it,” said Yves-Thomas Dorval, president of the Conseil du Patronat.
Fraser says creating a new holiday nationwide, though, will put pressure on the hold-out provinces to fall in line with the rest of the country.
“This may hopefully encourage or revisit or rethink how each province marks November 11,” he said.
The issue has yet to be raised in the National Assembly.
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-vets-push-to-make-remembrance-day-a-statutory-holiday-1.3807056
CTV Montreal
Published Friday, February 16, 2018
A group of veterans is pushing for Quebec to adopt Remembrance Day as an official statutory holiday.
“It would commemorate in a more official fashion the sacrifices our veterans have made and including their families,” said veteran Kenneth Ouellet, Quebec provincial command of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Canadian Parliament recently adopted private bill, Bill C-311, that will turn Nov. 11 into an official Canada-wide holiday, as is currently the case in most provinces.
The Canadian Legion, however, is officially against C-311, fearing that the significance of Remembrance Day will turn into a meaningless day off for a majority of Canadians if they have the day off.
“In the provinces where there is time off, people actually go to the ceremonies, there's an increase in attendances,” said Colin Fraser, federal MP for West Nova, who sponsored the private member's bill.
The Quebec provincial command supports the bill.
“If you have Canada and Quebec able to have our rights, it's because others made sacrifices for them,” said Ouellet, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 41 years.
Despite the bill’s adoption, provinces still have the final word on making Nov. 11 a day off.
Quebec employers say they can't afford to pay additional statutory holidays to their workers.
“The question is not, ‘Is it important or not?’ The question is, ‘Do we have to add a new statutory day?’ As employers, I would say most employers will certainly not be in favour of it,” said Yves-Thomas Dorval, president of the Conseil du Patronat.
Fraser says creating a new holiday nationwide, though, will put pressure on the hold-out provinces to fall in line with the rest of the country.
“This may hopefully encourage or revisit or rethink how each province marks November 11,” he said.
The issue has yet to be raised in the National Assembly.
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-vets-push-to-make-remembrance-day-a-statutory-holiday-1.3807056
Trooper- Administrator
- Posts : 1275
Join date : 2017-10-07 -
Re: Private member's bill
by Trooper Sat 17 Feb 2018, 9:51 am
Click not now when prompted to log in - to view the video
https://www.facebook.com/Mike.Blais.RCR/videos/10211252392845523/
https://www.facebook.com/Mike.Blais.RCR/videos/10211252392845523/
Trooper- Administrator
- Posts : 1275
Join date : 2017-10-07 -
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|