Manitoba declares day of mourning, stops short of holiday

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This article was published 13/09/2022 (1260 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba has declared a day of mourning and will close provincial government offices after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared Monday a federal holiday to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth.

All non-essential government services and offices will be shut down Monday, the provincial government announced in a news release late Tuesday.

Schools and child-care facilities will remain open.

“The health-care system will continue to operate as usual,” the news release said.

It did not say if Monday’s day of mourning will impact services offered by Manitoba Crown corporations, such as liquor marts and Manitoba Public Insurance.

Monday will be a holiday for federal employees and those in federally regulated industries, including banks, airlines and federal Crown corporations. It was up to provincial and territorial governments to determine whether they declared the holiday for other workplaces and schools.

Premier Heather Stefanson encouraged schools to observe a moment of silence on Monday when the Queen’s state funeral takes place in London. She also suggested Manitobans take time to reflect on the Queen’s special relationship with Manitoba.

“Queen Elizabeth II had a remarkable reign and an unwavering commitment to service and duty,” Stefanson said in the news release.

The day of mourning for the Queen, who died Thursday at 96, won’t be a quiet one, however.

A 21-gun salute will take place on the south grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building, to coincide with the federal memorial service in Ottawa. It will be followed by a royal gun salute of 96 rounds to honour each year of the Queen’s life.

Church bells will toll 96 times prior to the provincial memorial service. The invitation-only service takes place at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Winnipeg.

The public, meanwhile, can sign books of condolence during the period of mourning at the legislature and at city halls in Winnipeg, Steinbach and Thompson.

Manitoba’s decision not to declare Monday a provincial holiday echoed plans unveiled earlier in the day by Ontario and Quebec.

Ontario announced Tuesday it will hold a day of mourning with schools and businesses remaining open. A statement from Premier Doug Ford’s office invited Ontarians to observe a moment of silence at 1 p.m. Monday.

Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters that Monday would be a day of commemoration in Quebec, but not a public holiday.

The Maritime provinces plan to be more observant.

Prince Edward Island announced one-time statutory holiday for all provincially regulated workers, with schools and government offices closed.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick say they will observe the national day of mourning by closing schools and government offices, but the holiday will be optional for private-sector businesses and employers.

In the U.K., Monday is a national bank holiday, meaning workers are not entitled to time off. “Employers may include bank holidays as part of a worker’s leave entitlement,” according to the U.K. government’s website.

In Canada, there are 12 designated paid holidays at the federal level. Federal holidays that are not a paid day off in all provinces include Remembrance Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is Sept. 30.

Manitoba has eight statutory holidays that employees either have off with pay, or are paid differently if they work: New Year’s Day, Louis Riel Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president Chuck Davidson said there are different ways to recognize the Queen’s death, as there are with Sept. 30, which has not yet been declared a Manitoba holiday.

Holding staff training and information sessions are the kinds of things that can be done “rather than just saying, ‘Well, everybody’s got the day off’ and it doesn’t really have that kind of significance that you’re hoping it’s going to have,” Davidson said Tuesday.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from The Canadian Press