Us Canadians get a few statutory holidays, and today was one of them, that means if you work, you get the day off with pay..but what if you do not celebrate the holiday? You still get the day off and the pay. I thought is it time to rethink statutory holidays.
I sat and was thinking about what if instead of selected days off where everything closes down on everybody since Canada is now a much more diverse nation, why not do away with the religious statutory holidays? Instead why do we not mandate that you can have paid 3 additional vacation days a year making up for Easter, Good Friday and Christmas. Yes Canada was primarily settled with those with Christian beliefs but we now are a diverse nation with many a religion.
With those 3 days if you celebrate a different faith you can use them to celebrate what you believe with the paid time off instead of having to use existing days off or taking unpaid time off as many do today. If you don’t celebrate a faith you can have them for your own mental health days or to spend time with your family when you want it.
This way as well the economy of the nation does not stop on these 3 days. Why should we after all we do not stop for Passover, Eid, or any other holy day? Does my thinking make sense?
Yes sometimes when I am drinking tea, I have some pretty deep thoughts.
Are we ready to embrace the right to celebrate our own faiths? Ready to say we need a new way of including all?
My thinking is give me the option. Give me my Easter, Christmas and Good Friday off but those with differing thoughts and beliefs can have their days off with pay too, and you know what they can work when I need to be off and I can do the same on their holy days.
What do you think?
Source: http://commoncentsmom.com/2013/03/is-it-time-to-rethink-statutory-holidays/