People attend the second annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and Powwow on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson says the province won’t make Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday this year.
Stefanson told reporters on Tuesday consultations are ongoing with the Indigenous community and there isn’t a consensus yet on how the day should be marked.
Stefanson also says there is a consideration to businesses, that have yet to recover financially from the pandemic.
“We’ve heard loud and clear they’ve been struggling. And we want to make sure that if they choose to close, they close on their own,” Stefanson said. “We won’t be looking at closing them down.”
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.
Katherine Strongwind, director of 60s Scoop Legacy of Canada, has released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/vXdnEM4VgP
— ChrisD.ca News (@ChrisDca) April 11, 2023
— With files from The Canadian Press
