Sunday, October 21, 2007

The Grinch Who Stole Family Day

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.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

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.

Do 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.

Sean Cummings said...

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.

Anonymous said...

just fire half the civil servants . . it'll kill off a huge swath of useless paperwork and save a bundle of $$.

Concerned Albertan said...

Ontario doesn't have Rememberance day off as a stat, so that would make the difference.

These 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.

EUGENE PLAWIUK said...

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.
So 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.

EUGENE PLAWIUK said...

"Ontario doesn't have Remembrance day off as a stat"

Excuse me. What the heck are you talking about. It's a Federal Stat Holiday.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, we work Remembrance Day here in Ontario, kids go to school.

Banks and Postal service are about the only things not working that day.

Anonymous said...

Hard working civil servant is an oxymoron.