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Monday will be a holiday to mark Queen's funeral

Monday will be a federal holiday and national day of mourning

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Sept. 19 will be a federal holiday to mourn Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral in London.

The province of British Columbia has followed suit with schools closed, but the idea has not received support from small business.

Speaking at a caucus retreat in New Brunswick today, Trudeau says "declaring an opportunity for Canadians to mourn on Monday is going to be important."

He says the government will be working with provinces and territories to ensure they're "aligned."

Monday will be a holiday for federal employees and those in federally regulated industries. It was left up to provincial and territorial governments to declare the holiday for remaining workers.

Trudeau also says he and the opposition leaders' offices are working on a final list for the delegation that will attend the funeral in person.

Commemoration ceremonies will also be held in Canada, including a parade, a flypast and a church service in Ottawa that will be televised nationally.

B.C. follows federal lead

Later on Tuesday B.C. premier John Horgan said his government had decided to follow the lead of the federal government and other provinces who had also made Monday an official day of mourning.

"The national holiday will be observed Monday, Sept. 19 by federal employees. We have advised provincial public-sector employers to honour this day in recognition of the obligations around federal holidays in the vast majority of provincial collective agreements," Horgan said in a statement.

"K-12 public schools and public post-secondary institutions, and most Crown corporations will be closed. We encourage private-sector employers to find a way to recognize or reflect on the day in a way that is appropriate for their employees."

Business organization opposes move

Meanwhile, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) urged provincial governments not to declare next Monday, Sept. 19, a statutory paid holiday.

"With a six-day notice, it would be deeply unfair for small businesses and cost the economy billions, " Dan Kelly, president of the CFIB said in a statement.

"For many small businesses, such as restaurants, hotels and movie theatres, this would mean paying more in order to stay open.

"Small businesses are already struggling with labour shortages and requiring them to close or pay time and a half to their employees with no notice would be extremely costly or result in a day’s lost productivity.

With files from The Canadian Press.

Published 2022-09-13 by Glenn Hicks

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