On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared Sept. 19 a federal holiday. But the ensuing chaos over determining who qualifies for the holidays has left workers across the country confused. Saskatchewan’s prairie province will remain open for business. In neighboring Manitoba, only government employees will have the day off. However, in Prince Edward Island on the Atlantic coast, a full statutory holiday has been declared, with provincial authorities ordering businesses to close or pay their employees time and a half. “Declaring an opportunity for Canadians to mourn on Monday will be important,” Trudeau said during a cabinet meeting in the province of New Brunswick – which will close schools and government offices. “For our part we will inform federal employees that Monday will be a day of mourning where they will not work.” In Canada, nearly 90% of workers fall under provincial jurisdiction, and by not declaring the holiday a public holiday, the federal government has left a patchwork of confusion. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador opted to give workers the holiday. Quebec, long skeptical of the monarchy, was the first to rule out a public holiday following Trudeau’s announcement. Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, said workers would not have a holiday – but could observe a “moment of silence”. “This will give all Ontarians an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable life of Queen Elizabeth II and her relentless commitment to service and duty,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement. British Columbia Premier John Horgan said in a statement that he would “follow the federal government’s lead and join other provinces in observing a day of national mourning” – referring to four other provinces that have taken a similar approach. Small business advocacy groups had criticized a potential national holiday, arguing the announcement left little time for preparation, arguing a work stoppage could cost the country billions. And in British Columbia, the teachers’ union said the timing was poor given a looming holiday at the end of September as teachers work to get students back to school. “It’s very unusual to have a partial holiday that really only applies to public sector workers,” Bruce Hallsor of the Monarchy Association of Canada told CTV News. “She was everybody’s queen – she wasn’t just the queen of public sector workers.” Only one province, Alberta, has yet to announce whether it will make the state funeral a public holiday.
