Why is National Aboriginal Day not a stat holiday?
- NC Raine | June 21, 2017
Among our nationwide statutory holidays in Canada are celebrations of the new year, labour, Canada's birthday, and the birth of the reigning Canadian monarch. Not among these nationwide holidays is a day commemorating the rich history, contributions, and culture of Canada's Indigenous people. This begs the question, why hasn't Canada designated a stat holiday in honour of our Indigenous communities?
June 21st, Canada celebrates National Aboriginal Day – a celebration first announced in 1996 by then Governor General Romeo LeBlanc - as a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of Indigenous peoples. But the day remains somewhat limited across the country, as Canadians will largely observe the celebration from work.
“Through National Aboriginal Day, we all want to make a difference for our people. The way to do that is build bridges – to say come sit with us, celebrate our uniqueness with us,” said Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Second Vice-Chief Robert Merasty. “Building bridges is how we showcase how we [as Canadians] are all one people, and how we should focus on appreciating one another.”
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada issued 94 calls to action, one of them being a call to create a new national statutory holiday in honour of residential school survivors. Regardless of a TRC Day or National Aboriginal Day, the principle is the same – a way for Canada as a whole to show respect for the Indigenous peoples.
“More than ever, we need a National Aboriginal Day to celebrate and showcase our unique culture and symbols in this period of reconciliation and rebuilding relationships in government,” Merasty says.
“But similarly, more than anything, we're all the Creator's children, and we should celebrate Aboriginals, Ukrainians, French, everyone who calls themselves Canadian. It's about being human with each other and celebrating the diverse and unique culture that Canada has to offer.”
Merasty believes that the Canadian government should be responsible to set the tone in terms of embracing and celebrating Canada's cultural diversity, not only for Indigenous communities, but all heritages that makeup Canada's cultural mosaic.
Currently, only the Northwest Territories and Yukon recognize National Aboriginal Day as a statutory holiday. And here in Saskatchewan, many leaders believe it's time to catch up with our northern neighbours.
“Let's at least start off with a stat holiday,” said Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Felix Thomas. “But I don't think it's going far enough, just having one day. In the United States, they have Black History Month. In Canada, we have one day, and often the only people who celebrate are the Aboriginal groups .”
Chief Thomas says that making National Aboriginal Day a statutory holiday would make for an important statement of respect from the Canadian government, and a possible catalyst for greater change.
“I think the biggest thing would be the affirmation and confirmation for Indigenous people that we do matter,” said Thomas.
“The more people who understand and take part, the more politicians and policy makers will listen and implement more things to reconcile relationships with First Nations.”