Death does not take a holiday, at least in the case of Queen Elizabeth II..A labour arbitrator ruled federal grain workers were not entitled to a day off with pay when the Queen died. The prime minister’s declaration of a National Day of Mourning last September 19 generally benefited only public employees..“There is no federal or provincial legislation which recognizes the Day of Mourning as a holiday,” wrote Andrew Sims, arbitrator in the case. “This question mostly involves contract interpretation,” he added..Grain Workers’ Union Local 333 complained after the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association refused to grant workers a day off with pay. Under its contract the union was entitled to any “general holiday” proclaimed by the federal government or province..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did proclaim a Day of Mourning, however, it was not an Act of Parliament, wrote Sims..“The actual proclamation here is very specifically worded to describe for whom it is a holiday and for whom it is not,” wrote Sims. .“The request to the people of Canada to set aside September 19 to honour the Queen’s memory falls short of saying September 19th is a general or public holiday.”.The prime minister’s original proclamation read: “The National Day of Mourning is an opportunity for Canadians from coast to coast to coast to commemorate Her Majesty. It will be designated a holiday for the public service of Canada and other employers across the country are also invited to recognize the National Day of Mourning.”.Trudeau at the time never specified whether the public service holiday applied to 910,000 employees in the federally regulated private sector like grain workers. “There are still a few details to be worked out,” he told reporters..Similar days of mourning were proclaimed following the death of King George VI in 1952 and King George V in 1936, when the Peace Tower carillon played Chopin’s Funeral March.
