Manitoba NDP call on government to make Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday

Native Wendat singer Keyara Gross-Louis sings as a few thousand people gather in a vigil in memory of Indigenous victims, Thursday, July 1, 2021 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba NDP party is urging the premier to pass a bill that would see Sept. 30, also known as Orange Shirt Day, become a statutory holiday in the province.

Ian Bushie, NDP critic for Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations, said Premier Heather Stefanson needs to do more than just say the right thing and make sure all Manitobans can partake in Orange Shirt Day with their loved ones.

“On September 30, Manitobans from all walks of life came together to honour Survivors and the children who never made it home, but not everyone was able to fully participate in learning and healing that day because the PCs refused to make it a statutory holiday,” Bushie said in a news release.

In 2017, NDP Leader Wab Kinew passed Bill 223 to mark Sept. 30 as Orange Shirt Day – a day meant to honour residential school survivors.

Kinew contacted former premier Brian Pallister and interim premier Kelvin Goertzen to make the day a statutory holiday, but nothing ever came of this.

In September 2021, the Manitoba government announced it would observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. Schools and non-essential government services and offices were closed. However, it was not mandated as a statutory holiday.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is recognized as a federal statutory holiday on Sept. 30.

CTV News Winnipeg has reached out to the province for comment.