The date of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will be marked in Canada with a national holiday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
“We have … chosen to move forward with a federal holiday on Monday [Sept. 19]Trudeau said in New Brunswick, where he is attending a Liberal caucus retreat.
“We will work with the provinces and territories to try to see that we are aligned on this. There are still some details to be worked out, but declaring an opportunity for Canadians to cry on Monday will be important.”
The prime minister’s office said that unless the provinces join the plan, only federal government employees will have the day off, similar to how Remembrance Day is observed. Between 85 and 90 percent of workers are regulated by provincial governments.
Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business [CFIB]reacted quickly to the news by urging the provinces to reject the measure.
“Since it would only allow six days’ notice and cost the economy billions, CFIB urges provincial governments not to declare next Monday a statutory (paid) holiday,” he said on Twitter. “Provinces should follow the example of the United Kingdom, rather than the Government of Canada.”
In the UK, a public holiday has been declared for the date of the funeral which will close government services and schools. Businesses will not have to close or lay off employees.
Both New Zealand and Australia, however, have declared that they will celebrate unique national holidays to mark the occasion.
New Zealand announced that it will have its “Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day” on September 26. Australia said it will celebrate its unique national holiday on September 22.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government has been in contact with regional governments and they all agreed a national holiday is a good idea.
The federal government has also announced that Parliament will return to Ottawa for a one-day session on September 15 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II and return to full time on September 20, instead of September 19.
Quotation of a legal holiday
Speaking to CBC News on Monday, Kelly said the cost of a holiday would be an unfair burden on businesses.
“Companies are already struggling to pay their employees and to find enough employees to keep their businesses going. For those that can close, they would obviously lose a day’s productivity,” he said.
“For those that need to be open, like a restaurant or a movie theater or something like that, all this means is that employees will get extra pay while they work, pay that employers would be hard-pressed to find.”
Kelly said that while a public holiday would cost the economy billions of dollars, small and medium-sized businesses would be spared that pain if the provinces decided to let the federal government act, as most Federally regulated companies are big companies.
Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter said the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 per cent of annual GDP, or between $2 billion and $4 billion. He added that the figure is only an estimate.
“Presumably not all activity would be shut down. Some could be picked up at a later date and some activity occurs on weekends,” Porter told CBC News in an email.
Porter said that while the cost may seem high, he doesn’t think cost should be a big factor in the government’s decision. The Royal League of Canada said it agrees and welcomed today’s news.
“We are delighted with the news. Hopefully the provinces will follow suit so that Canadians have the opportunity to reflect on the life of the only head of state most of us have ever known,” said the spokesperson league, Robert Finch, told CBC News in an email. Tuesday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an announcement during the Liberal summer caucus retreat in St. Andrews, NB, on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese)
On Monday, Finch said that while he sympathized with Kelly’s arguments, cost should not be the deciding factor.
“I think those are very genuine concerns, absolutely. They have to be factored into the decision. But I also like to think that this is not an every-year occurrence, it’s a one-time occurrence,” he said.
If the provinces don’t support the move and the vast majority of Canadians have to go to work on Sept. 19, Finch said, it might not be bad news for the monarchists.
“The other side of the coin is that if it’s not a holiday and students are in school, there’s an opportunity to learn about that, where you might not necessarily have that if it’s a holiday,” he said.