TORONTO – The Ontario Conservative government’s denial of a provincial holiday for National Truth and Reconciliation Day is a disgraceful rejection of the need to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities, the United Steelworkers union (USW) says.
“Public awareness and support for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples has been growing stronger virtually everywhere in our country, but not within Doug Ford’s Conservative government, it seems,” said USW Ontario Director Marty Warren.
“It is despicable to see the largest provincial government in Canada reject one of the important calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” Warren said. “It further demonstrates its lack of leadership and commitment to fostering reconciliation.”
The federal government has passed legislation confirming National Truth and Reconciliation Day, on Sept. 30, as a statutory holiday for federal government workers and employees in federally regulated industries such as banks; railways; telecommunications; radio and television broadcasting; the postal service; air transportation; and inter-provincial road transportation.
“Several provincial and territorial governments and municipalities are also taking steps to recognize National Truth and Reconciliation Day as a holiday,” Warren noted.
“Doug Ford’s Conservative government is clearly demonstrating it has no interest in taking meaningful action to commemorate and reflect on the terrible legacy of residential schools, nor to actively promote and foster true reconciliation and social and economic justice for Indigenous peoples and communities,” he said.
“We call on the Ontario government to fulfill its role of national leadership and to pass legislation declaring National Truth and Reconciliation Day a provincial statutory holiday. Such legislation would receive opposition party support and would easily be passed into law.”
Marty Warren, USW Ontario Director, 416-243-8792
Denis St. Pierre, USW Communications, 647-522-1630, denisdstpierre@gmail.com
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