REGINA — Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is renewing calls for Premier Scott Moe’s government to make the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a provincial statutory holiday, saying the province is falling behind other jurisdictions.Beck’s team is joining the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and community members in pushing the Saskatchewan Party government to formally recognize September 30 as a statutory holiday.The federal government established the holiday in 2021 in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 80. British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut have also taken steps to recognize the day as a statutory holiday, according to the NDP.“This is our history, and we have a responsibility to remember it. Truth and reconciliation cannot just be words. It requires meaningful action,” Beck said.“Saskatchewan should be leading by example, not falling behind.”.WATCH: Carla Beck on pipelines, trade, gun policy and Saskatchewan healthcare.The release said an estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children attended residential schools across Canada, with an estimated 4,000 dying.It also pointed to Cowessess First Nation’s 2021 announcement identifying 751 potential unmarked burial sites at the former Marieval Indian Residential School.Leroy Laliberte, the NDP’s Shadow Minister for First Nations and Métis relations, said statutory recognition would acknowledge harm done to indigenous children and their families while giving workers time to attend commemorations.“People need the time and space to participate in ceremonies, listen to survivors, learn the truth, and reflect on what reconciliation requires of all of us,” Laliberte said.Labour Shadow Minister Nathaniel Teed said workers should not have to choose between their jobs and participating in reconciliation activities.Beck’s team first called on the Saskatchewan Party government to make the day a provincial statutory holiday in 2021.
