The four Atlantic provinces, British Columbia and Yukon all declared Monday a holiday for provincial and territorial public sector employees, including teachers and school staff. However, most private sector businesses will remain open, leaving many workers struggling to find childcare or, in some cases, having to take unpaid leave. Christine Grace, a mother of two children in grades 2 and 5 who lives in Dartmouth, NS, said the decision to mark the Queen’s funeral by giving public sector workers a holiday is disappointing. “A lot of workers are now on child care leave because schools are closed, but they haven’t actually declared full leave,” she said. After two years of pandemic-related school disruptions, Grace said it’s frustrating for families to once again have to deal with sudden closures. “I think these kinds of decisions disproportionately affect women,” she said. “It’s also a missed opportunity to talk about the monarchy in Canada and maybe hold an assembly during the funeral or observe a moment of silence.” Jill Bruce, a mother of three who is also from Dartmouth, said working parents don’t have enough time to find alternative childcare. “We’re left scrambling to find a babysitter and some parents can’t afford to take a day off work,” she said. “This is just unfair after two years of pandemic school closures. We’re all burned out.” Part of the problem is the two-tiered nature of the holiday, Bruce added. “Government workers get days off and schools are closed, but for most working parents it’s like ‘you’re on your own.’
A “travesty” to claim Monday as a holiday, says researcher
Judy Haven, a researcher at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives and professor emeritus at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, said it’s a “travesty” to claim Monday is a holiday when only civil servants have the day off. “They’re trying to push the idea that workers have more rights in this province, and it’s absolutely not true,” he said. “In fact, the reverse is true because now some parents will miss a payday because they have childcare responsibilities.” “Some parents will miss a payday because they have childcare responsibilities,” said Judy Haven, a researcher at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. (Brian MacKay/CBC) Working parents are not the only ones affected by school closures. Businesses are also juggling schedules to accommodate workers who need to stay home to care for children. “This came out of the blue and left some employees scrambling to find alternative childcare arrangements or book the day off,” said Gary Sands, senior vice-president of public policy at the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. “A lot of businesses are facing labor shortages, so that’s definitely an issue.” Louis-Philippe Gauthier, the vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says a Sept. 19 federal holiday could affect some businesses’ ability to operate. (Zoom) Louis-Philippe Gauthier, the vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said some small businesses are already on reduced hours due to staff shortages. “This could affect the ability of some businesses to operate simply if workers can’t come in because of school closures,” he said. “It’s just very challenging.” Mark von Schellwitz, vice-president of Western Canada at Restaurants Canada, said the biggest challenge in the restaurant industry right now is the labor shortage. “It’s really, really hard to find staff,” he said. “A lot of businesses are already at about 80% because they just don’t have the staff to open full time.” “If workers have to stay home because of school closures, that makes it even more difficult for restaurants.”
