Remembrance Day: National holiday?/"Veterans' Day"? (merged)

[andpro]

                                                                                                                                                        No, 11 November will simply become another long weekend - another chance to have a BBQ or to maybe close the cottage or watch a football game.  The impact will be lost - most Canadians will simply take a day off work and not be bothered to remember or acknowledge why they get to go hunting on a Tuesday, or go shopping in the States for a long weekend in November.  .

 

Your argument of rememberance day becoming a long weekend holds no wieght what so ever. The last time i checked Nov. 11 does not fall on a friday or a monday every single year. As long as the ceremonies still go on people will continue to remember, if we continue to teach it in our schools people will remember. November 11 has been a holiday in Nova Scotia for years and people still go to the ceremonies.

signed

 

[andpro]

I guess the schools can still hold the ceremony. It may not be on November 11th but this year it's a Saturday where there is no school.

This is how it's done in Nova Scotia, Schools hold ceremonies on the 10th, so regardless of what kids do with their day off they still end up attending a ceremony.

edit: mis-read the quoted post. because Nova Scotia has a holiday on Nov.11 public schools hold ceremonies the day before.

 

[rmacqueen]

because Nova Scotia has a holiday on Nov.11 public schools hold ceremonies the day before.

Which is how it should be across the entire country.

 

[TCBF]

We don't need another Stat holiday.  If we do this,  1/4 of the workforce will have to do a shift that day anyway, then be given money/time for not having it off.  We are too unproductive a country as it stands now.  Take the two minutes if you are working, attend the Parade if you are not.

Tom

 

[andpro]

"we are too unproductive a country as it stands now." I'm sorry but that is one of the most lamest excuses I have ever heard of. Canada is not going to suffer economic collapes if we take one more day off. Do you have any evidence to back that claim up? I don't know if this is true or not, but I heard somewhere that in Europe people take a lot more vacation than Canadians, and Canadians are overworked.

 

[rmacqueen]

"we are too unproductive a country as it stands now." I'm sorry but that is one of the most lamest excuses I have ever heard of. Canada is not going to suffer economic collapes if we take one more day off. Do you have any evidence to back that claim up? I don't know if this is true or not, but I heard somewhere that in Europe people take a lot more vacation than Canadians, and Canadians are overworked.

There has also been a push in the last couple of years to create another holiday since Canada has one of the lowest amounts of any industrialized country in the world.  Studies have also shown that productivity goes up when people have time off and that Canadian productivity suffers more from a failure to use new technologies and a tendency to over work the employees.

That having been said, if the government is going to create another stat holiday then Remembrance Day should be it.  I don't think we should just sit back while another stat is created for some lame excuse while the people who died for this country have the same standing as "national talk like a pirate day".  They deserve more than a day marked on the calendar for the sake of corporate profit.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

I'm torn on this just because of my past experiences.
My Father was the 'head mop' at a local high school and being a proud WW2 veteran he would give the Remembrance Day speech in the gymnasium packed with over 1000 kids whom he always held spellbound. I never had the chance to hear his speeches[ already in] but the reason I know how much effect his words had on them is the fact that many times I have run into people whom were those very students and that's one of the things that sticks out in their minds when my Father comes up in conversation.

Just think of all those kids every year sleeping in and playing video games instead of hearing how it was 'over there'.

P.S.......One of my prized possesions is a ratty folded-up copy of one of those speeches.

Just on my way out the door to place my poppy on Dads grave when I recieved this from one of my good buddies who works at the female prison in Milton.

> Hi Bruce,
>
> I'm here at work and we just observed the minute of silence, even the
women were able to respect this and stay silent. Couldn't help but
think of your Dad and the assemblies at Centennial C.V.I.. See you at the
skirt/kilt fitting.
>
> Have a great day,
> Name deleted


...and before you ask about the skirt/kilt thingy, his forthcoming wedding is a Scottish affair and the best man must be so attired also, no? 8)

 

[rmacqueen]

> I'm here at work and we just observed the minute of silence, even the
women were able to respect this and stay silent. Couldn't help but
think of your Dad and the assemblies at Centennial C.V.I.. See you at the
skirt/kilt fitting.

It is wonderful to know that he had such an impact on the students.  I spoke to some kids last night at the local library and hope they came away with some slight understanding.

...and before you ask about the skirt/kilt thingy, his forthcoming wedding is a Scottish affair and the best man must be so attired also, no? 8)[/i]

Just remember to go regimental or you have to buy a round for everyone if you are caught ;D

 

[rmacqueen]

Petition has now passed 1,000 signatures

 

[57Chevy]

Remembrance Day deserves to be a statutory holiday in recognition of the great sacrifices made on behalf of all Canadians, Tory MPP Lisa MacLeod says.
The Ontario Conservative MPP is introducing a private member’s bill Thursday that would, if passed, recognize Nov. 11 as a legal holiday.

Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec are the only provinces that don’t observe Remembrance Day in this way, she said.

“That is odd given the outpouring of support across Ontario, particularly between Trenton and Toronto, when Canadians repatriated after they’ve given the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan,” she said.

The bill would also require schools hold Remembrance Day services one day prior to Nov. 11.

Ontarians would lose Family Day in February, a holiday brought in by the Dalton McGuinty government, if the bill passes, she said.

“I’d much rather have my daughter with me at my side on Remembrance Day to teach her about the history, the great cultural and rich military history that we have in this country, so that she understands that our freedoms and our values can never be taken for granted,” MacLeod said.

Her bill has already received support from retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie and Retired Maj.-Gen. Clive Addy, past vice-president of the Royal Canadian Legion, Central Command.

MacLeod notes that 34% of Canada’s war dead in Afghanistan called Ontario home.

Private member’s bills require the support of Liberal government members to become law.

MacLeod said a social media campaign to designate Remembrance Day as a statutory holiday has the support of 275,000 people.
article link

                        (Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)

275,000 + 1 more :nod:
:yellow:

 

[HavokFour]

I can support this. I'd love to be able to go to the various ceremonies downtown for once.

 

[George Wallace]

Watching our politicians at work, I wouldn't be surprised if this was shot down by the Liberals and NDP just for the fact that it was a PC member who suggested it..........An act of spite on their part.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I'd love to see it happen - good luck MPP MacLeod!

That said, to put it into context, very, very few Private Member's Bills get passed into law (more on the process in the attached), so I would bet a loonie against it passing for now, esp. considering the spin-off effect on schools and businesses.  And if it goes to committee hearings after we're out of AFG, I suspect (given the broad-but-shallow public sentiment for supporting the troops), the glow of "support the troops" will be overshadowed by business and other concerns (not to mention maybe even a few whack-jobs arguing that this is "glorifying war", so it shouldn't happen).

 

[mariomike]

Remembrance Day was been statutory holiday for City of Toronto employees for at least forty years, and probably a lot longer:
http://www.toronto.ca/children/pdf/cityholidays_2010.pdf

For those of us on Operations, like Christmas and all the other "stats", we work them like any other day of the year. For those not on Operations, Nov. 11 was always a day off with pay. 

 

[Danjanou]

Remembrance Day was been statutory holiday for City of Toronto employees for at least forty years, and probably a lot longer:
http://www.toronto.ca/children/pdf/cityholidays_2010.pdf

For those of us on Operations, like Christmas and all the other "stats", we work them like any other day of the year. For those not on Operations, Nov. 11 was always a day off with pay.

And I would say about 80-90% of said employees have no clue why they get the day off, don't know (or care) and just see it as a day to go shopping or laze around.

 

[exgunnertdo]

"Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec are the only provinces that don’t observe Remembrance Day in this way, she said."

To say that Manitoba doesn't acknowledge it as a stat is not the 100% truth. It's not a Stat, but it is observed as a day off. Schools and businesses are closed. More so than on a Stat actually. There is legislation called "The Remembrance Day Act" (or similar, I forget exactly what it's called). Other provinces should look at Manitoba's model.

The danger of calling it a stat is exactly what someone said - people have no idea why it's a day off. Or they head south to do some Christmas shopping.

 

[mariomike]

And I would say about 80-90% of said employees have no clue why they get the day off, don't know (or care) and just see it as a day to go shopping or laze around.

I hesitated to avoid saying that, but it is exactly what I was thinking.

"If the employee works on a designated holiday, the employee will be paid two (2) times his regular rate for
time so worked, and be paid for a full day at his regular rate of pay."

 

[The Bread Guy]

To say that Manitoba doesn't acknowledge it as a stat is not the 100% truth. It's not a Stat, but it is observed as a day off. Schools and businesses are closed. More so than on a Stat actually. There is legislation called "The Remembrance Day Act" (or similar, I forget exactly what it's called). Other provinces should look at Manitoba's model.

Thanks for that info.

And I would say about 80-90% of said employees have no clue why they get the day off, don't know (or care) and just see it as a day to go shopping or laze around.

The danger of calling it a stat is exactly what someone said - people have no idea why it's a day off. Or they head south to do some Christmas shopping.

Good point - day off =/= more remembering or more cenotaph attendance

 

[Pusser]

This is not the first time this has come up in Ontario.  I seem to recall that about 30 years ago the Legion actually came out against making it a holiday.  The reasoning was that it was better to have the kids taking part in Remembrance Day activities in school than it was to give them a day off to goof around. 

Another thing to think about is why CF members get the day off?  Would it not make more sense for everyone to be on parade that day (we of all people)?  For those that go on parade, how many are happy to do it compared to those who feel they got shafted with another duty?  I know many of us go to services anyway, but I'm pretty confident that there are other CF members who simply treat it as another day off.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Another thing to think about is why CF members get the day off?  Would it not make more sense for everyone to be on parade that day (we of all people)?  For those that go on parade, how many are happy to do it compared to those who feel they got shafted with another duty?  I know many of us go to services anyway, but I'm pretty confident that there are other CF members who simply treat it as another day off.

I would really hope this is not the case.  In my 23 year period of military employment, Remembrance Day is the one parade I never heard anyone complain about.