The B.C. government announced Tuesday that Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, will be a paid statutory holiday in the province.
Labour Minister Harry Bains introduced the bill in the legislature Tuesday, saying the holiday will be observed this September and every Sept. 30 afterward.
This follows the federal government’s decision in 2021 to declare Sept. 30 a national holiday.
Last year, British Columbia’s First Nations said they were deeply concerned that B.C. had not made Sept. 30 a statutory provincial holiday.
In a statement, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) said that B.C. “has so far failed to designate September 30th a statutory holiday marking the profound horrors of residential schools, and the enduring needs for healing and honour of survivors, commemoration and widespread public education.”
The statement continued, saying, “The ongoing recoveries of missing and unidentified graves at former residential school sites have brought to public attention the immense trauma, violence, and abuse perpetrated against Indigenous children, as well as deep-rooted systemic racism across Canadian institutions and public sectors.”
The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was first declared in 2021.
According to the federal government, “the day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
– with files from Global News’ Doyle Potenteau
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.