B.C. to make Sept. 30 a paid stat holiday for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has introduced legislation to make Sept. 30 a paid statutory holiday marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Labour Minister Harry Bains introduced a bill in the legislature Tuesday, saying the holiday will be observed this September and every Sept. 30 afterwards.

He says the B.C. holiday follows the federal government’s decision in 2021 to declare Sept. 30 a national truth and reconciliation holiday for its workers.

Premier David Eby says his government is taking the important step to enshrine the day in law to acknowledge the wrongdoings of the past, and to take meaningful action toward reconciliation.

“Many British Columbians have been marking Orange Shirt Day with humility, respect and reflection in their own way for years,” says Eby in a statement, referring to a day that honours survivors and those who didn’t return from residential schools.