It seems British Columbia and Alberta are agreeing on one thing, Family Day should be the third Monday in February. Premier John Horgan has opened the door once again for the B.C. government to move the statutory holiday one week later to align with Alberta and a majority of the other provinces in the country.
“Happy Family Day weekend. It may well be the last one on the second weekend of February,” said Horgan. “We’ll see when it is next year.”
British Columbians will celebrate Family Day next Monday, Feb. 12. The holiday was first marked in 2012.
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The NDP government has been pressured to align the holiday. A poll released in November found 71 per cent of British Columbians are in favour of moving the Family Day holiday to align with seven other provinces in the country.
Green Party leader Andrew Weaver and NDP Attorney General David Eby have been vocal supporters of moving the holiday. An online petition launched three years ago has received more than 22,000 digital signatures to change the date.
“Premier Christy Clark passed the Family Day Act in 2012 establishing B.C.’s very own Family Day on the 2nd Monday in February compared to the rest of Canada who celebrates on the 3rd Monday,” reads the petition. “This was to promote B.C.’s tourism and allow local residents to visit ski resorts on their own day. However, many B.C. families find themselves working who are federal employees, business owners, or who conduct business across Canada and North America. This means the true spirit of Family Day is lost.”
The B.C. ski industry has benefited from having back to back long weekends in February. The previous government settled on the holiday date on the second Monday in February after extensive consultation across the province.
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