Manitoba's Misstep Is Private Sector's Opportunity
With the federal government declaring it a national holiday last year, it becomes up to each province how they will observe it. The options include status quo (what we had last year and will have again in Manitoba this year), the remembrance day style holiday or a full statutory holiday (what the PC's say we will have next year, but first they'll do consultations to see what people want). The Remembrance Day option could ask us to keep businesses closed until 11am on that day to allow for ceremonies and commemorations dedicated to our relatives lost to war to occur before the world resumes it's day to day activities. The statutory holiday option calls for businesses to close, pay their employees and for essential businesses that must remain open, to pay those employees time and a half. If you want to learn more about holidays from Manitoba's Employment Standards department you can click here to read the legislation I got this info from.
Manitoba recently announced they would not be observing the upcoming day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept 30 as a statutory holiday and will instead choose the status quo option. This means that businesses can remain open that day as the government continues to consult with Indigneous leaders.
With the government's choice, the ball is now in the court of the private sector and businesses in Manitoba to make a move towards truth and reconciliation. Many businesses will put "every child matters" on decals in their office, vehicle or websites, but is that the best we can do? I challenge businesses to take bolder and more substantial actions to demonstrate your seriousness to the every child matters movement. In a province where we have nearly 10,000 children in care, 90% of whom are Indigenous there is an obvious direction we can go when we want to direct our dollars in a meaningful way and that is towards groups and organizations that support children, youth and parents through family reunification.
4 more things businesses can do to meet the moment:
1. Educating staff on the history of residential schools in Canada and the TRC calls to action
2. Commit to TRC call to action 1, 56 & 92 that aim to reduce the number of Indigenous kids in care, provide professional development to staff and create culturally safe workplaces and hiring practices.
3. Make financial contributions equal to or greater to the profits made on Sept 30 to Indigenous led family reunification
- Fearless R2W Inc
- Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre: family group conferencing & Nagijeung Abinoojik
- First Nations Family Advocate Office Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
- Voices Manitoba's Youth In Care Network (not Indigenous led, but does amazing work with youth aging out of care).
4. Check in and provide culturally safe mental health supports to staff
If you have ideas that go above and beyond these 4 please feel free to do so. Some that I thought of include giving spa packages to any Indian Residential School Survivors connected to your business.
I also want to mention bringing in a speaker or guest to share their story is good but please do so carefully and with respect, medicine and fair compensation to the folks you ask. This day and stories relating to it are extremely personal, emotionally taxing and can take days to prepare for or recover from, especially for survivors and their family members, the intergenerational survivors. Please do what you can to help support family reunification in Manitoba, I know the many Indigenous families and kids I work with are grateful for your thoughtfulness and action.
Despite the provinces missed opportunity, the community and the private sector can take this opportunity to lead in a good way and work with those on the front lines, the ones that support the parents, kids and families. I hope this conversation and the every child matters movement inspires individual businesses, associations, unions and chambers of commerce to think about how they can be meaningful partners in reconciliation because every child matters, not just on September 30, but every single day.
Let's let our actions doing the talking and do what we can to bring the children home.
