VICTORIA WHO? TRUDEAU MUM ON CANADA'S OLDEST HOLIDAY
This year, Victoria Day seems to have gone unmentioned by the prime minister as well as the major federal party leaders. But that also appears to be nothing new for Justin Trudeau.
A scroll through the prime minister's social media posts for the last several days on X finds him tweeting about the death of sports broadcaster Darren Dutchyshen; how wildfire season is upon us; the new Canadian Dental Care Plan; and a plan to make contraceptives free in Canada.
The nearest he came to a mention of Canada's oldest public holiday was to repost a video from Burlington MP Karina Gould, warning that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre “wants to take away Canadians' rights.” Her short speech begins: “As we head into the May long weekend ...”
Queen Victoria's birthday is older than Canada, having been made a public holiday by the province of Canada in 1845 on the Queen's 26th birthday. Trudeau has made little mention of it during his time in office, however.
During his first May Twofour weekend as Canada's leader, in 2016, Trudeau tweeted out about Canada's second win in a row at the men's IIHF World Championship. He also mentioned the Buddhist holiday of Vesak, which would pop up again in his tweets three years later.
On May 20, 2017, the PM congratulated Windsor, Ont., on its 125th birthday, but did not mention that Victoria would have turned 198 a few days later. The following year he congratulated Harry and Meghan on their royal wedding, but no words for the Prince's great-greatgrandmother. And in 2019, on the bicentennial of Victoria's birth, his tweets were about aluminum tariffs, airline passenger rights and Canada's Digital Charter.
The following year, he made mention of the day: “I spoke on the phone with Queen Elizabeth II today,” he wrote. “We talked about the state of the world, COVID-19, and more. I also thanked her for the hopeful messages she has sent during these difficult times, and I wished her the very best this Victoria Day.”
Then in 2021 he made mention of the 107th anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident of 1914, when Canada turned away a boatload of would-be immigrants, but no mention of the 202nd anniversary of the birth of Canada's “Mother of Confederation.”
The next year the Komagata Maru came up again, as did a shooting in Texas, war in Ukraine, and storms in Ontario and Quebec that cut power and killed several people. And 2023 was a working holiday for the prime minister, who was tweeting from the G7 summit in Hiroshima and could be forgiven for forgetting that everyone back home was kicking back and setting off fireworks.
Reaction to this year's apparent snub came from several directions. J.D.M. Stewart, author of the book Being Prime Minister, wrote on X: “It's hard to believe the Prime Minister of Canada does not wish the nation a happy Victoria Day. I know the issues, but it's not all about one angle or one period in time.”
Peter Menzies, a past editor of the Calgary Herald, added: “I can't find a single greeting from the PM or cabinet wishing us a Happy Victoria Day. So, please accept a humble citizen's Happy Victoria Day.”
And Holly Doan, publisher and owner of Ottawa-based Blacklock's Reporter (which noted it was taking the day off), tweeted: “Inviting PM @Justintrudeau and members of the federal cabinet to join Canadians in wishing each other a Happy Victoria Day on their socials.”
In an email to the National Post, Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, said: “It's too bad really. Victoria Day is the oldest public holiday in Canada. It predates Confederation. It's the perfect time to celebrate and learn about Canada's constitutional monarchy. A missed opportunity by all three party leaders, if you ask me. The Governor General should have released a message, too.”
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and New Democratic Leader Jagmeet Singh did not make mention of the just-ended official start of summer this year, except insofar as Poilievre continues to request that the federal government roll back gasoline taxes “from Victoria Day to Labour Day.”
An email to the Office of the Prime Minister was not returned when this story was published.