Tuesday, September 21, 2021

AUPE taking province to court over National Truth and Reconciliation Day

by News Staff
POSTED SEP 20, 2021

People stand on Parliament Hill alongside a memorial for children who died at Indian Residential Schools, during a rally to demand an independent investigation into Canada's crimes against Indigenous Peoples, in Ottawa on Saturday, July 31, 2021. 
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

EDMONTON – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is taking the province to court over its decision not to recognize National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30.

The AUPE has filed a formal policy grievance in court, hoping that the government will change its mind and recognize the day.

The province announced last month that it would be up to individual businesses to decide if they want to recognize the day and grant employees a paid day off.
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AUPE’s vice president, Bobby-Joe Borodet, says Alberta’s stance defies common sense and decency.

“If the government was going to leave this important responsibility up to employers, they should have taken a leadership role and honoured the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation themselves,” said Borodet in a release.

“How can an employer, let alone the provincial government, say they are working to act on reconciliation while refusing to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation? If they are still searching for something to act on, here it is.”

AUPE says previously the government had told the union it was still considering whether or not to recognize the day.






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