It's Orange Shirt Day & Politicians Are Trying To Make It An Official Holiday In Canada
Today is Orange Shirt Day in Canada and it could be turned into an official federal holiday. This isn't the first time the government has tried to make this happen.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault introduced a bill in the House of Commons to make Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday.
It would become a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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September 30
could be a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Guilbeault tweeted that if the bill gets Royal asset, September 30 would be a statutory holiday for federally regulated workers.
That day would honour survivors of Canada's residential schools, their families and communities along with ensuring the tragedies that happened because of the system aren't forgotten.
It would also mean the implementation of one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action.
The bill to make it into a federal holiday was based on the work of NDP MP Georgina Jolibois and has the support of Jagmeet Singh.
Every year, Orange Shirt Day recognizes and honours what Indigenous peoples went through in residential schools.
"We need to constantly be educating and reminding future generations remember what happened, so it never happens again," said Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The Liberal government has tried to make this day a national holiday before but it wasn't successful and the bill stalled.