Queen Elizabeth’s funeral day: Canada announces a holiday. Here’s who gets it
King Charles III was officially proclaimed Canada's monarch on Saturday in a ceremony in Ottawa attended by Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Sept. 19 will be a holiday so that federal employees can mourn Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral.
Trudeau also said he's working with the provinces on a possible public holiday for other workers.
“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,” said Trudeau.
According to reports, there will also be a national commemorative ceremony to honour the life and service of Her Majesty. The ceremony will be held at the Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa on September 19, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. It will be preceded by a memorial parade and a 96-gun salute – one shot for each year of Her Majesty’s life – and followed by a flypast of Royal Canadian Air Force CF‑18s.
The provinces have jurisdiction over that.
“Declaring an opportunity for Canadians to mourn on Monday is going to be important," Trudeau said.
“For our part, we will let federal employees know that Monday will be a day of mourning where they will not work.”
The late queen was the head of state for 45% of Canada's existence and visited the country 22 times as a monarch.
King Charles III was officially proclaimed Canada's monarch on Saturday in a ceremony in Ottawa attended by Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon, who is the representative of the British monarch as head of state, a mostly ceremonial and symbolic position.
Both Trudeau and new opposition Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre Canada have expressed support for Charles.
Canadians are somewhat indifferent to the monarchy, but many had great affection for Elizabeth, whose silhouette marks their coins.
Overall, the anti-royal movement in Canada is minuscule, meaning that Charles will almost certainly remain the country's king.
Abolishing the monarchy would mean changing the constitution. That's an inherently risky undertaking, given how delicately it is engineered to unite a nation of 37 million that embraces English-speakers, French-speakers, Indigenous peoples and a constant flow of new immigrants.
Trudeau said Canadians are preoccupied with big issues like inflation and climate change and not constitutional issues.
Canadians are also invited to sign the online book of condolences or express their condolences in other ways.
Statutory holidays in Canada can only be granted through legislation, which must pass through the House of Commons and the Senate, and receive Royal Assent. The Government of Canada has consulted the provinces and territories, who will determine an appropriate way to mourn Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in their jurisdictions.
With the inputs from the PTI
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First Published:14 Sep 2022, 06:27 AM IST
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