The Manitoba government will not make Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday this year.
Premier Heather Stefanson says consultations are ongoing and there is still not a consensus on how the day should be marked.
Stefanson also says the government doesn’t aim to force businesses to close while they are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is marked on Sept. 30.
The federal government has made the day a statutory holiday for its workers and federally regulated workplaces, and Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have followed suit.
The Manitoba government has marked the day by closing non-essential government offices and elementary and high schools.
Grand Chief Garrison Settee, who represents First Nations in northern Manitoba, says the government does not understand the significance of the day.
He says people should be given time off to acknowledge the history of what happened to Indigenous children and families.
The Opposition New Democrats say the Progressive Conservative government is ignoring a call to action from the national commission on truth and reconciliation.
The federal government has made the day a statutory holiday for its workers and employees in federally regulated industries.
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