Trudeau moving forward on residential schools holiday

ST-EUSTACHE The federal government will move forward to create a statutory holiday dedicated to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.

The holiday will be aimed at remembering the legacy of residential schools and reflecting on a path toward reconciliation, he said in St-Eustache.

“Over the past decades, generations and centuries, Canada failed in one of its fundamental commitments to respect and be partners of the Indigenous People who lived on this land for millennia,” he said.

“We broke that relationship, we failed to uphold the honour of the Crown and, more than that, we did our best to try to erase Indigenous cultures with such projects as residential schools.” He said the government is currently consulting with First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups to choose an appropriate date and to decide how the holiday should be framed.

A private member’s bill introduced by NDP MP Georgina Jolibois proposes establishing a statutory holiday on June 21, which is National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde has said First Nations support a national day to “recognize the tragic and painful legacy of residential schools” and respect and remember the “too many children taken from their homes and families,” while also honouring survivors and their families.

“The residential schools era is indeed a dark chapter, and we must never forget,” he said in a statement.

If Parliament did approve a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday, it would only apply to federally regulated workplaces — the civil service, marine ports, airports, airlines and telecommunications companies. Provinces and territories would have to amend their existing labour codes to establish any additional day off.

Debate on the bill will resume in the fall after the House of Commons reconvenes.