The Ford government has used its majority to reject a proposal to make September 30th a provincial holiday.
The Private Member’s Bill from Kiiwetinoog MPP Sol Mamakwa called for the day to be called the Day of Reflection for Indian Residential Schools and would have tied with the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The bill was defeated in a vote held on Monday 60 to 30.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland were among the Progressive Conservatives to vote against the proposal.
During debate last week, Rickford did not believe now was the time to establish a holiday.
“We can get to the point right now where it is already, in Ontario, a day of reflection,” stated Rickford.
“In fact, I have heard from a number of survivors. I’ve heard from a number of Indigenous leaders who are not completely persuaded that we are at a time and place where a holiday, writ large, a day off, is necessarily the best thing.”
Prior to the vote, survivors who were at Queen’s Park to watch the debate were informed they could not wear their orange Every Child Matters shirt while sitting in the gallery.
MPPs and the Speaker would later rule that wearing orange shirts would be permitted.
“In the past, they were asked to remove their orange shirt day. And it seems like that house is still trying to uphold that colonial approach,” said Mamakwa.
“But I am very happy that today they’re allowed to sit up there, the residential school survivors, to wear their orange shirts.”
After the vote, Mamakwa posted on social media that while he was disappointed to see his bill fail, “it’s only the beginning in the effort to have a stat on September 30th.”
