Family Day
is the name of a public holiday in South Africa, in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, in the American state of Arizona, in Vanuatu, in Vi?t Nam and (as "Family & Community Day") in the Australian Capital Territory.
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Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Family & Community Day is celebrated on the first Tuesday of November, which coincides with the
Melbourne Cup. This public holiday was declared in 2007 under section 3(1)(b) of the Holidays Act 1953 (ACT) and was expected to be declared again in 2008. In his speech to the
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, Mr. Andrew Barr, the
ACT Minister for Industrial Relations stated the purpose of the new public holiday was:
"...to enable workers to take a break from their hectic working lives and to spend some quality time with their family and friends. ... Australians do work the longest hours of any country in the western world. We do deserve a break."
[1]
Canada
Officially there is no federally-established Family Day, although such a date is established by some provinces as a statutory holiday on the third Monday each February thereby coinciding with the US holiday
Presidents Day.
National Family Week is put on each year by the , a non-profit organization. It is not a statutory holiday, but is generally recognized and celebrated by community organizations across the country.
In the Province of
Manitoba, a holiday coinciding with Family Day in Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan is
Louis Riel Day.
[2]
In the province of
Newfoundland & Labrador, the third Monday of February is a school board holiday, but not an official provincial holiday.
As Family Day is not currently recognized in the federal sphere, federal employees in all provinces (such as public servants and postal workers) still work on this day (or take a vacation day).
Province of Alberta
The holiday
[3] was first celebrated in 1990. Alberta was the only province in Canada to have a statutory holiday in February, until it was proposed in Saskatchewan beginning in 2007.
The holiday was proclaimed by
Lieutenant Governor Helen Hunley, on the advice of her
premier,
Don Getty. Premier Getty said it was important for all Albertans to take time for their families and this holiday would emphasize the importance of family values.
[4]
Getty came in for considerable criticism at the time. Many employers felt that an additional statutory holiday was an unnecessary fiscal burden. In response to the criticism, the holiday of
Heritage Day was downgraded to a
civic holiday, meaning employers are not required to observe this day. Under Alberta law, the employer may choose to observe Heritage Day as a general holiday, under which rules applying to general holiday pay will be used.
[5]
Province of Ontario
Ontario's Family Day takes place on the third Monday of February and is a
statutory holiday. After
Dalton McGuinty's appointment as
premier was supported by the
election in 2007 of the
Liberal Party to a majority in the
Legislative Assembly, McGuinty advised the
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David Onley to establish Family Day on 11 October 2007, with the first being observed on 18 February 2008. Its creation raised Ontario's number of public holidays to nine per year,
[6] Unionized workers whose collective agreements do not yet include this holiday will continue to work on Family Day.
Province of Saskatchewan
In October 2006,
Saskatchewan's
Premier proposed the holiday for the province, beginning in 2007.
[7] The bill for the Labour Standards Amendment Act, 2006, was introduced in the legislature on
November 1,
2006, and received
Royal Assent on December 6.
[8] The act officially declares the third Monday of each February Family Day and came into effect immediately;
[9] the first Family Day in Saskatchewan was
February 19,
2007.
The overall effect in annual days off remains unchanged for many, as Easter Monday is no longer considered a holiday by private businesses. Businesses suggested it might cost them as much as $140 million a year for this new holiday, and have requested tax breaks to soften the economic impact. The Saskatchewan government has given $95-million corporate tax cuts, but most of the companies benefiting have adjusted the official days off such that the annual allotment remains exactly the same.
South Africa
After 1995,
Easter Monday was renamed Family Day.
[10] In 2007, it was observed on
April 9.
[11]
United States
American Family Day is a state holiday in
Arizona and has been celebrated on the first Sunday in August since 1978.
[12] American Family Day is a in the contiguous United States founded in 1985 in Marietta, GA.
Vanuatu
Family Day in
Vanuatu is celebrated annually on December 27 as a day on which school and work are suspended in order to spend the day giving thanks for and enjoying time with one's family, often by engaging in civic and religious events and a festive meal.
References
- Hansard, Legislative Assembly for the ACT
- Manitoba's new holiday: Louis Riel Day
- Family Day Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. F-4
- ab.paoc.org
- Alberta General Holidays and General Holiday Pay
- FAQ: Family Day
- Saskatchewan plans a new paid holiday called Family Day
- Progress of Bills in the Saskatchewan Legislature
- The Labour Standards Amendment Act, 2006
- Public Holidays Act, 1994 (36)
- About SA - Public Holidays
- Title Unavailable