Whereas June 21, National Aboriginal Day, recognizes and celebrates the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Mtis peoples of Canada; And whereas it is considered a statutory holiday for people working in Aboriginal organizations, but not for most Canadians, meaning most Canadians are not able to participate in the recognition and celebration of First Nations cultures: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM work with the provincial and federal governments to designate June 21, National Aboriginal Day, as a statutory holiday for all Canadians.
Ministry of Indigenous Relations Reconciliation The now named, National Indigenous Peoples Day, is an important day to recognize and celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures and contributions of First Nations, Mtis and Inuit. In British Columbia, we committed to acting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions TRC Calls to Action as a way of making life better for all British Columbians. Declaring National Indigenous Peoples Day as a statutory holiday is one of way of addressing the TRCs call for a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. BC also wants to change how we work with Indigenous people, so while we support the concept in principle, we also recognize that establishing National Indigenous Peoples Day as a statutory holiday in BC would require significant collaboration with Indigenous peoples, Canada and other stakeholders. Currently, the Northwest Territories is the only jurisdiction in Canada where National Aboriginal Day is a statutory holiday. The Government of Canada has committed to implement the 94 Calls to Action arising from the TRC final report, and these actions include the recommendation to create a new, national, statutory holiday: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The TRCs recommendations also call for participation in reconciliation from the business and corporate sector. In this broad context, establishing National Indigenous Peoples Day as a statutory holiday across Canada is something that would understandably require significant collaboration with the federal government and extensive consultation with stakeholders.