Family Day in Canada
Family Day was originally created to give people time to spend with their families
It’s Family Day in some parts of Canada. It is celebrated on the 3rd Monday of February.
Family Day is not a national statutory holiday, it is only observed in New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and in British Columbia.
Other provinces have holidays in February on the same day but these holidays aren’t called family day. In PEI Islander Day is celebrated on the 3rd Monday in February and in Manitoba the 3rd Monday in February is the Louis Riel Day holiday. In Nova Scotia this day is called Heritage Day.
Family Day was originally created to give people time to spend with their families but it also provides a day off between New Years Day and Good Friday as they are approximately three months apart.
Since this is not a federally mandated holiday all federal workers work on Family Day including post office employees and public servants.
This difference in eligibility for this holiday makes it divisive. Private sector workers versus public servants. Who is more worthy of time off, benefits, and sick leave?
My thoughts: If the idea of Family Day is to spend time with family, shouldn’t the day then be statutory and celebrated nationwide?
~Wakenya Canada
