Nova Scotia Remembrance Day paid holiday debate, Digi Mart USA News (Nova Scotia, Canada): Three of the four Atlantic provinces recognize Remembrance Day as a paid statutory holiday, but Nova Scotia is not one of them. With growing calls for Atlantic Canadian provinces to better align their policies, some Nova Scotians are asking why the province has not made the move.
Halifax resident Alan Sloan told CTV News that given Nova Scotia’s military history and large naval presence, if any province should make Remembrance Day a paid holiday, it should be this one. “Given the sacrifice of Nova Scotia in the past, we need to honour that by actually letting people be able to attend Remembrance Day ceremony,” Sloan said.
Dalhousie student Owen Huisman agreed, saying that given the province’s rich naval history and the coordination between Atlantic provinces, it only makes sense to align policy. “We are so connected, some people might have family that are veterans in some of the other Atlantic provinces, so it would be nice to be able to get families together for that sort of stuff,” Huisman said.
However, the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative government is not currently considering the change. Labour Minister Nolan Young said the government has not looked at adding any statutory holidays to its list, but added that the province is always open to examining new policy.
“What I would say is, if we were to look at statutory holidays, certainly Remembrance Day would be at the top of the list,” Young said. He said making it a paid holiday would have a major impact on businesses and employers and would require consultation with several groups.
“The reality is that any changes that we make would have an impact on business,” Young said. “And there would have to be a thorough consultation with businesses, with veterans, with their families and industry.”
The Royal Canadian Legion does not support making any changes to Remembrance Day or making it a paid holiday in Nova Scotia, arguing that taking part in a ceremony should remain voluntary. “People should be able to go to a ceremony if they wish,” said Nujma Bond, national communications and public relations manager with the Legion.
“We don’t necessarily want it to be a holiday where people might decide to do other things.”
For now in Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia remains the exception when it comes to recognizing Nov. 11 as a paid holiday.
