N.W.T. makes National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a stat holiday

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation marked on Sept. 30 is now officially a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories.

The territory is justone of just a fewjurisdictionsin Canada to officially make it so.

The day is meant to honour children lost to residential schools, as well as the survivors, their families and communities.

P.E.I.also recognizes the day as a stat holiday, along with Newfoundland and Labrador, though its government website says consultations are still ongoing.

Last year, the federal government passed legislation to recognize the day as a federal statutory holiday, making it a paid day off for federal workers and employees in federally regulated workplaces. However, it left it up to the territories and provinces to decide if the day would be a statutory holiday locally.

Some jurisdictions, including the N.W.T. went on to observe the day, but did not make it into a statutory holiday at the time. In a news release issued on Wednesday, the territory said there wasn't time to add the changeto its employment legislation last year, so itinstead only amended the Public Service Holiday Order under the Public Service Act to allow employees to observe the day.

However, this year, with Bill 47 now in force as of June 3 making Sept. 30 a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories' Employment Standards Act, the day off will be extended to all workers in the N.W.T.

"Establishing this statutory holiday is a significant step towards reconciliation in the Northwest Territories," saidR.J. Simpson, minister of Education, Culture and Employment, in a statement.

He said the day is a "time to reflect and remember."

"It's a day to acknowledge the territory's colonial history and the legacy of residential schools. While we commemorate survivors, families and communities, September 30 can also be a day of hope."

Provinces including Alberta, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan said last year they will not be recognizing the day provincially, though some cities within those provinces, including Edmonton, recognized the day last year.