UPDATED February
18, 2008
PEI
Federation of Labour's Press
Release Calling for the Enactment of a Family Day Holiday on PEI
The time for workers on PEI to be treated like second class citizens in
their own country needs to end.
'On this the third Monday in February, which is now
observed in 4 provinces as a statutory holiday, we call on Premier Ghiz
to enact a Family Day holiday for workers on the Island within the next
year' states Carl Pursey, President of the PEI Federation of
Labour
Currently, 10 out of the 14 Employment Standards Acts in Canada
(including federal) include at least 8 statutory holidays (Northwest
Territories and Saskatchewan are the highest at 10). With PEI at
currently only 6 and tied for the lowest number of statutory holidays
in the counrty, this needs to change.
''We urge the Ghiz government to enact positive changes to our Act, not
only in the area of statutory holidays but in all areas of the Act and
these changes need to go above the minor positive changes covered in
the review committee’s recommendations.'' continues Mr. Pursey.
Employment Standards legislation in PEI has lagged behind the rest of
Canada for too long and now is the time to bring it up to an equal
footing with the minimum standards afforded workers in the other
Canadian provinces.
As we have expressed in the past, we are happy that one of the positive
recommendations from the recent review of PEI’s Employment Standards
Act recommends that Thanksgiving Day be added to the current number
statutory holidays recognized on PEI. However even with that
recommendation it still leaves Island workers tied with New Brunswick
for the second lowest number of statutory holidays in Canada at 7.
In fact since the Committee released their recommendations 3 provinces
Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan have joined Alberta and added the
third Monday in February, Family Day (Louis Riel Day in Manitoba), to
their list of statutory holidays putting PEI even further behind. If
PEI was to join these four provinces and add Family Day along with
Thanksgiving Day that would bring PEI up to a level that is enjoyed by
the vast majority of Canadians.
“ In the end, The PEI Federation of Labour would like to
extend a very Happy Family Day to workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and
Ontario and a Happy Louis Riel Day in Manitoba. We hope that we will
not only be able to wish Island workers a happy Family Day on February
16, 2009 but also be able to see the provincial government usher in a
time where PEI’s Employment Standards Act is no longer the worst in the
country.'' concludes Mr. Pursey
Background Information:
Comparison of Statutory Holidays Across Canada Table Released with the Press Release
Press
Release in Response to the Chambers of Commerce’s Opposition to Recommendations to Improve the Employment Standards Act
PEI
Federation of Labour’s Response to the Employment Standards Review
Panel’s Recommendations
PEI Federation of
Labour's Submission
to the Employment Standards Review
Employment
Standards Review Panel's report (released September 2006)
Press
Release Main
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