Family Day

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Family Day is the name of a statutory holiday in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, and is a public holiday in the Australian Capital Territory (called "Family & Community Day"), an administrative region in Australia and in South Africa.

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[edit] Australia

[edit] Australian Capital Territory

It is celebrated on the first Tuesday of November, which coincides with the Melbourne Cup. The public holiday was declared in 2007 under section 3(1)(b) of the Holidays Act 1953 (ACT) and is expected to be declared again in 2008. In his speech to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, Mr Andrew Barr, the ACT Minister for Industrial Relations stated the purpose of the new public holiday was:

"...to enable workers to take a break from their hectic working lives and to spend some quality time with their family and friends. ... Australians do work the longest hours of any country in the western world. We do deserve a break." (Hansard, Legislative Assembly for the ACT, 25 September 2007, page 2608)

[edit] Canada

[edit] Alberta

It is celebrated on the third Monday in February[1] each year, thereby coinciding with the US holiday President's Day. The holiday was first celebrated in 1990. Alberta was the only province in Canada to have a statutory holiday in February, until it was proposed in Saskatchewan beginning in 2007.

The holiday was proclaimed by Lieutenant Governor Helen Hunley, on the advice of her premier, Don Getty, in response to a drug scandal involving the premier's son, Dale Getty, who had been arrested for possession of cocaine and was revealed to have cocaine addiction. Premier Getty was embarrassed by the revelation, and admitted publicly that he had neglected his family, saying that it was also important for all Albertans to take more care with their families.[citation needed]

Getty came in for considerable criticism at the time. Many people felt he had abused his position to compensate for his feelings of guilt with respect to his own family. Also, many employers felt that an additional statutory holiday was an unnecessary fiscal burden. In response to the criticism, the holiday of Heritage Day was downgraded to a civic holiday, meaning employers are not required to observe this day. Under Alberta law, the employer may choose to observe Heritage Day as a general holiday, under which rules applying to general holiday pay will be used.[2]

[edit] Manitoba

In February 2007, it was reported on CTV news that the Manitoba government is considering legislation later this year for a Family Day in Manitoba. If it passes, the first Manitoba Family Day could be in 2008. The budget that included the proposed family day was passed by the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday April 17, 2007. The proposed holiday will be named Louis Riel Day. [3]

[edit] Ontario

On September 3, 2007, it was reported that the sitting ministry had proposed the introduction of Family Day, to be held annually in February. On October 11, 2007, Premier Dalton McGuinty, the day following the re-election of his party to a majority in the Legislature, announced that Family Day had been created via Order-in-Council of Lieutenant Governor David Onley, and would occur on the third Monday of February, effective beginning in the year 2008. The first Family Day in Ontario will be on February 18, 2008. This Family Day brings Ontario's long weekend total up to nine per year, which is equal to Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and the territories.[4]

[edit] Saskatchewan

In October 2006, Saskatchewan's Premier proposed the holiday for the province, beginning in 2007.[5] The bill for the Labour Standards Amendment Act, 2006, was introduced in the legislature on November 1, 2006, and received Royal Assent on December 6.[6] The act officially declares the third Monday of each February Family Day and came into effect immediately;[7] the first Family Day in Saskatchewan was February 19, 2007.

The over-all effect in annual days off remains unchanged for many, as Easter Monday is no longer considered a holiday by private businesses. Businesses suggested it might cost them as much as $140 million a year for this new holiday, and has requested tax breaks to soften the economic impact. The Saskatchewan government has given $95-million corporate tax cuts, but most of the companies benefiting have adjusted the official days off such that the annual allotment remains exactly the same.[citation needed]

[edit] South Africa

After 1995 Easter Monday was renamed Family Day.[8] In 2007 it was observed on 2007-04-09.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Family Day Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. F-4 (2007-03-12). Retrieved on 2007-04-26.
  2. ^ Alberta General Holidays and General Holiday Pay (2007-10-12). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
  3. ^ Template:Cite news
  4. ^ McGuinty proposes "family day" holiday for February (2007-09-03). Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
  5. ^ Saskatchewan plans a new paid holiday called Family Day. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
  6. ^ Progress of Bills in the Saskatchewan Legislature. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
  7. ^ The Labour Standards Amendment Act, 2006 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
  8. ^ Public Holidays Act, 1994 (36) (PDF) (1994-12-07). Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
  9. ^ About SA - Public Holidays (2006-03-28). Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
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