While Canadians were celebrating the Victoria Day holiday last weekend, a group that includes prominent Canadian artists and politicians posted an online petition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to rename the holiday to Victoria and First Peoples Day.
The petition says renaming the holiday would allow for the celebration of both Canada’s relationship with the British Crown as well as the country’s indigenous peoples.
“For centuries, Canadians, the First Nations, the Inuit, and the Metis have had a close affinity with the British Monarchy,” reads the petition.
“The newly named holiday would be an opportunity to commemorate that venerable relationship [with the Crown], to celebrate unique Indigenous cultures, to revisit our shared history, and to provide an opportunity for all Canadians to participate in the diverse and extraordinary heritage of our country.”
Among the famous figures behind the petition are author Margaret Atwood, Inuk musician Susan Aglukark, actor Gordon Pinsent, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.
The petition had gathered over 1,000 signatures as of Tuesday, according to the petition’s website. http://victoriaandfirstpeoplesday.ca/
Canada already has a National Aboriginal Day that is observed on June 21 each year. However, it is not a statuary holiday in most provincial and territorial jurisdictions.
In Quebec, National Patriots’ Day is observed in place of Victoria Day. That holiday commemorates the 1837 rebellion against the British.
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