I'm generally not accused of being "wishy-washy", or not having an opinion, but I'm really on the fence on this one. Up here, we were given very direct orders that Remembrance Day is not a Statutory Holiday in Quebec, so it is imperative that we stay open for business. Everyone else in town (Co-op, schools, municipal offices) was closed. But, they were not closed for Remembrance Day. They were all closed for the anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (signed November 11, 1975), which is the treaty that created the Nunavik Region.
I find it offensive, not only that there are still areas within Canada (Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba) that don't think that their fallen soldiers are worthy of a National Holiday, but that Quebec would take the stance of - Remembrance Day (as listed in Wikipedia) is a day celebrated by the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the Commonwealth of England), and Quebec, while part of Canada (who knows why), does not consider itself part of the Commonwealth, and therefore does not take part in Remembrance Day at all.
Did you notice that the last paragraph was all one horribly run-on sentence. So what!
I'm equally offended that in all of the areas that do respect the day as a National Holiday, most people don't pay any respect to the fallen anyway. Don't get me wrong, I don't either, but that's beside the point. And another thing, simply buying and wearing a plastic poppy doesn't count either. What percentage of people actually attend a memorial, or even recognize a minute of silence at 11:00? Not even worth one minute of our "busy" day? Come on! The only reason that I'm on the fence with this one, is that for most, the National Holiday idea is simply that. A holiday. Another day to sit around doing nothing, and getting paid to do it. If you're not going to respect the day for what it is intended, then you don't deserve it!
Pay homage, or get to work!
The end.
No comments:
Post a Comment