Monday September 30th, 2024, marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as “Orange Sweater Day”. Established in 2021, this day is dedicated to honouring the children who were victims and survivors of the residential school system. But is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a holiday for everyone?
The importance of remembering
From the 1830s until the last residential school in Punnichy, Saskatchewan was closed in 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations children were forcibly taken from their families. These children endured numerous abuses aimed at erasing their language and culture.
While the reality of residential schools was already gaining increased media attention, the 2021 discovery of 215 children’s remains on the site of a former residential school near Kamloops, British Colombia, sparked a collective awareness of the scale of the tragedy. It’s in this context that September 30th was designated as a day to honour the memory of all the victims and survivors of these residential schools
A holiday, but not for all
September 30th is only a holiday for employees protected by the Canada Labour Code.
If you work in one of the following sectors, you would normally be protected by the Canada Labour Code:
- the federal government and federal Crown corporations (for example, Canada Post),
- banks (except for caisses populaires or credit unions),
- radio and television broadcasting,
- telecommunications, such as telephone, Internet, and cable systems,
- air transportation, including airlines, airports, aerodromes, and aircraft operations,
- port services, marine shipping, ferries, tunnels, canals, bridges, and pipelines that cross international or provincial borders,
- road transportation services, including trucks and buses, that cross provincial or international borders regularly,
- railways that cross provincial or international borders,
- grain elevators,
- First Nations band councils, or
- uranium mining and processing and atomic energy.
A paid holiday
If you are protected by the Canada Labour Code, you are normally entitled to be paid on this holiday, whether you work full-time or part-time.
| To learn more about your pay during this holiday, or what happens if you have to work anyway, visit the website of the Government of Canada. |
What of employees who aren’t protected by the Canada Labour Code?
In Quebec, employees who aren’t covered by the Canada Labour Code are protected by the Act Respecting Labour Standards. The latter doesn’t consider September 30th as a public holiday. However, your employer is free to offer you paid holidays that are not required by law.
To learn more about public holidays and about the Act Respecting Labour Standards, read our article on public holidays.