Why Remembrance Day should be a national statutory holiday in Canada

It’s the only way to ensure veterans are honoured and their sacrifice is not forgotten

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Canada, like other Commonwealth countries and former nations of the British Empire, observed Remembrance Day last week. It has long been a statutory holiday for federally regulated employees, but it is not mandated as a national statutory holiday. While there has been historical opposition to changing this designation, I believe it is time we reconsider this decision.

Remembrance Day, which was originally called Armistice Day, honours the brave men and women in uniform who fought for democracy, liberty and freedom during the First World War. This memorial day marks the exact moment when the armistice was signed between Germany and the Entente: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Canada, as a proud member of the Entente, has always paid homage to the veterans who defended our country and way of life, as well as the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice over a century ago.

Most Canadians have some awareness of these basic facts about Remembrance Day. What some may not know is that each province and territory observes it differently.

Six out of the 10 provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan), and all three territories (Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon), have declared it a statutory holiday. Nova Scotia also observes this memorial day, albeit in a slightly different fashion: the 1989 Remembrance Day Act details the rights of provincial employers and employees with respect to working arrangements, taking the day off and so forth. Manitoba does not regard Remembrance Day as a statutory or general holiday, but places it in a smaller category as an official day of observance. Two provinces, Ontario and Quebec, have chosen not to regard it as a statutory holiday.

There have been some attempts to change this designation. Former Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod introduced a private member’s bill that proposed to swap the Family Day statutory holiday for Remembrance Day, the Toronto Star’s Andy Takagi wrote on Nov. 6, 2023. Ontario-based NDP MP Dan Harris also introduced a bill to turn Remembrance Day into a statutory holiday across Canada. Alas, neither bill made it past a second reading.

One of the main roadblocks has been the Royal Canadian Legion. It has expressed opposition to this idea since the 1970s. Here is what Bill Maxwell, secretary of the Legion’s poppy and remembrance committee, told the National Post’s Tristan Hopper on Nov. 8, 2016: “If it was institutionalized and made a statutory holiday, the impression would be that people in their homes would not make the effort to attend a downtown ceremony… Rather than having a day off, commemoration or remembrance should be emphasized at the workplace or in the schools.” Moreover, Rob Larman, a director with the War Amps of Canada, told Hopper that “our stance is that it should never be a holiday; you take away the uniqueness of being able to educate the younger generation of the horrors of war.”

Both positions were completely understandable at the time. That is not the case any longer. Not because of the sentiments that were expressed but because the march of time combined with significant changes in Canadian views and values has altered the context.

John Babcock, Canada’s last surviving First World War veteran, died on Feb. 18, 2010. We have veterans of other wars still with us. This year happened to be the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Alas, there are reportedly only 3,691 veterans of that war still alive in Canada. With these numbers decreasing every year, it is vitally important to tie in these great heroes to today’s Remembrance Day ceremonies. By making it a national statutory holiday, it would help increase the odds and opportunities for young children to learn more about the importance of this memorial day. They will discover why we fought in different wars, battles, conflicts and skirmishes, the stories of our families, friends and neighbours involved in the two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and more.

It is also important for our families, schools and veterans to encourage and educate these young minds. The concerns that the Royal Canadian Legion, War Amps of Canada and others have had are valid. Parents, educators and senior workplace leaders must play active roles in public settings, private settings and ceremonies to help ensure a smooth transition of Remembrance Day into a national statutory holiday.

It would also correct long-standing controversies related to some Canadian views and values about war, peace, military service and honouring the legacy of our heroes. Remembrance Day has been part of this unfortunate discussion, too.

The red poppy versus white poppy debate that erupted in Canada in 2016, Don Cherry getting fired from the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada in 2019 for speaking out against individuals who did not wear poppies on Remembrance Day, Whole Foods Market, an American-owned chain, causing a brief eruption in 2021 when employees at its 14 Canadian locations were told they couldn’t wear poppies to work, and the principal at Ottawa’s Robert Borden High School who apologized for playing “Haza Salam,” a pro-Palestinian protest song closely associated with the Gaza conflict, during its Remembrance Day service in 2024 have all contributed to this.

Every single Canadian therefore needs to understand why their families and friends fought for democracy, liberty and freedom, and the sacrifice they made for all of us. If not, the distance between veterans and the wars they fought in will continue to increase, and the memories of those who remain will grow more distant.

Our heroes of freedom deserve a far better fate than this.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.