Mr. Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre, NDP) asks if the Harper Tories will let everyday Ontarians who work for the Federal government take off Dalton McGuinty's "Family Day" (as an aside, I read this term and stifle the urge to barf...why not "St. Ignatz Day" or something half decent like that?) to "spend family time together".
Pierre Poilievre (Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, CPC) lashes back:
We in fact provide 11 holidays to our federal employees, whereas the province of Ontario only provides 10, so there is an additional day. I hope the member is not suggesting that we take one of those holidays away from our public servants, many of whom live in his own riding.
In other words, the only way the Tories can let hard working federal civil servants in Ontario take "Family Day" is if, for example, they cancel Xmas.
Man these guys are hardcore. But since I am pro-cancelling Xmas, my response is conflicted.
Big h/t to the Cowboys.
We have had a February Family Day holiday in Alberta for almost 15 years. I am not sure how the Feds work it but it seems to me that they opted for the Heritage Day long weekend in August instead.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it would be fair for some provinces and not others to have an extra stat. holiday for federal employees that taxpayers in ALL provinces fund. As it is this costs small businesses and all businesses millions and millions of dollars and pretty well everything except governments are open anyways.
Family Day in Ontario was a blatant vote grabbing ploy and nothing more. It is also an utterly meaningless holiday for a large swath of our population who are stuck in service/hospitality/retail industry jobs. You know them: they're the working poor -- single moms are a good example of this demographic.
ReplyDeletejust fire half the civil servants . . it'll kill off a huge swath of useless paperwork and save a bundle of $$.
ReplyDeleteOntario doesn't have Rememberance day off as a stat, so that would make the difference.
ReplyDeleteThese things are already likely solved in the CUPE Union agreements, since Albertan's have both Family Day and Rememberance Day off as stats.
Whats the fuss, it has already been solved.
Federal workers in Alberta covered by PSAC do not get family day off. They get August 6, heritage day off which is a provincial and federal holiday.
ReplyDeleteSo being short changed over family day in Ontario is not really news except for folks in Ontario....maybe if the Feds give them family day off since they work and live in Ontario they will extend the same courtesy to their workers in Alberta.
A solution would be to make family day a national holiday.
"Ontario doesn't have Remembrance day off as a stat"
ReplyDeleteExcuse me. What the heck are you talking about. It's a Federal Stat Holiday.
Sorry, we work Remembrance Day here in Ontario, kids go to school.
ReplyDeleteBanks and Postal service are about the only things not working that day.
Hard working civil servant is an oxymoron.
ReplyDelete