Fredericton — The New Brunswick government announced today that it will be partnering with Alberta to provide a statutory holiday between New Year’s Day and Easter. “We’ve listened to the people,” said Tim Stanton, assistant cabinet minister in charge of accoutrements. “It’s a long, cold spell between January and April and our constituents deserve an extra paid holiday like all the other provinces have.”
Stanton, who works closely with the Coalition of Underemployed and Unpaid NB Workers that represents more than 50,000 New Brunswickers, went on to say, “Starting on Monday, February 16th, all New Brunswickers working and living in Alberta will be able to celebrate Family Day.”
The New Brunswick/Alberta Family Day partnership ensures that N.B. provides a glut of able-bodied workers to the Alberta oil patch. In return, Alberta will provide those New Brunswickers working in their province a statutory holiday that gives them time to reflect and remember the family they left behind.
“Unfortunately, the provincial government does not receive enough tax dollars from its residents to pay for a Family Day holiday on its own,” Stanton told reporters. “This partnership is a necessity because our New Brunswick workers are the lowest paid in the country and raising their taxes to pay for another statutory holiday is not fiscally viable.”
While New Brunswickers working in the oil patch receive a day off with pay in February, residents remaining in N.B. do not. “Just like those who stayed home during World War I kept the factories running, our loyal and dedicated NB workers must keep the call centres manned and accepting calls, ensuring the economic stability of this great province.”
The provincial government does have long-term plans for ensuring all New Brunswickers receive a Family Day statutory holiday. “Eventually,” said Stanton, “almost all our residents will be working in Alberta and will be able to not only celebrate Family Day, but to celebrate it with their family.”
I think all New Brunswick should have family day, not just NBer living and working in Alberta where they have family day and Ontario also has family day(not just Alberta). If New Brunswick is going with Alberta for this “Family Day” , Where the hell are the taxpayers money going if the rest of NB cannot have this holiday as well. So it kind of looks like the rest of New Brunswick has to either move to Ontario or Alberta just to get the holiday. That is not fair, If Fredericton is willing to give those NBer working and living out west a holiday, they should consider the rest of us as well!! Oh and by the way, if oil & gas prices keep droping most of NBer, may be back home and no holiday on February 16th.