City eyes push to diversify stat holidays

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This article was published 12/05/2022 (1603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg may soon explore how to ensure statutory holidays better reflect the diverse cultural and religious practices of all residents.

Council’s executive policy committee will debate Wednesday a call to seek community feedback on how legislated holidays could “better align with the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.”

“It is in response to feedback I’ve received from members of Winnipeg’s diverse community, many of whom have noted to me that they are required to take sick days or holiday time to observe religious holidays or days of observance, which, for me, as a practicing Christian, is not something that I need to do,” said Mayor Brian Bowman.

“There are important religious holidays that aren’t statutory holidays.”

If EPC approves, a public service report would also be tasked with making recommendations for council to consider. That would likely involve suggestions to provincial and federal governments, which set statutory holidays.

The motion is being recommended by council’s human rights committee.

The mayor said he believes the report would primarily push for changes at the senior government levels, for which the city could then advocate.

“We may be able to add our voice to the conversation, leveraging the expertise that we have on the human rights committee.”

If the report does suggest City of Winnipeg changes, Bowman said he’s open to considering those as well.

Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman, who has long called for all Winnipeggers to formally acknowledge the key holidays of various cultures, said he suggested the idea to the human rights committee.

A clinical and consulting psychologist with Lead with Diversity, he said providing days off work to acknowledge a broader array of holidays would help combat racism and broaden cultural understanding.

“Many people of colour and many people from cultural communities that don’t belong to a Eurocentric perspective tend to be perpetually seen as foreign… not local,” said Abdulrehman.

“When we start to integrate holidays and observances of different Canadian communities into our holiday calendar, what that does is it changes the dynamic of redefining who we are as a community and what local means as a community.”

Specifically, he said important days for various religions and the Indigenous community warrant more attention. While the federal government has established a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Abdulrehman said National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) should be added as a statutory holiday.

“While it’s important that we (acknowledge truth and reconciliation), we also need to celebrate Indigenous people for who they are, not just (recognize) what they’ve lost,” he said.

Abdulrehman suggests it would be far more inclusive to acknowledge about eight to 10 more statutory holidays, citing days to mark Rosh Hashanah, Eid al Fitr, Diwali and the Lunar New Year, as examples.

He believes concerns about a loss of productivity due to the addition of more statutory holidays are overblown. He said research indicates workers tend to be overburdened now, so the extra time off could actually leave people more rested and heighten productivity.

In an email, a provincial spokesperson said the province doesn’t currently have plans to alter statutory holidays but is “always open to collaborating with our civic partners.”

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

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