MP calls for National Aboriginal Day stat holiday
A Saskatchewan MP has tabled a private member’s bill, calling for a statutory holiday on National Aboriginal Day.
June 21 was declared National Aboriginal Day in 1996. Now Georgina Jolibois, the NDP’s deputy critic of Indigenous Northern Affairs Canada, has tabled a bill she said is inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to honour Indigenous people’s contributions to Canada.
“This holiday will further ensure the public’s recognition of this history, legacy and the Treaty relationship which remains a vital component of the reconciliation process,” Joilibois said in a press release.
National Aboriginal Day is already a holiday in Yukon and the Territories – Jolibois said this is something her bill seeks to move federally.