On Labour Day, Dalton McGuinty announced a proposal for a statutory holiday in February, tentatively called Family Day. The timing of the announcement (one week prior to the official start of campaigning for the provincial election) meant that many people, both party supporters and detractors, viewed it with cynicism and a strong feeling of attempted bribery. However, since Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan as well as the Territories already have such a holiday in place, it was not completely unreasonable.
What I found surprising was that for every commentary I read that dripped with sarcasm about how McGunity was trying to win the election with a day off, there was another criticizing the name of the holiday. (Some of them did both in the same column.) One that really stuck out to me was from the Toronto Star columnist Jim Coyle, who wrote a column bemoaning the family day idea. In it, he states,
This is unfair. Dalton McGuinty may be many things. But, in this regard at least, he is not cynical. What he is, rather, is naïve, idealistic, a little sheltered, and very, very lucky. As anyone who has been on the mailing list for the premier's Christmas card knows, McGuinty's family is picture perfect.
So because McGuinty's immediate family appears to be something out of a Norman Rockwell painting (according to Coyle) or at the very least lacks the apparent (and all-to-common) dysfunction found in many families these days, the concept should be abandoned? Of course, the stated rationale (that Ontario winters are long, that Ontario workers deserve more time with family) is more political posturing than any sort of social commentary. To argue that the economy, driven by small business, will suffer and thereby justify opposition to the proposal is one thing. To say that people don't want more time with their family, however, is foolish, short sighted, and very sad.
Before continuing, I want to make it clear that a holiday in February will not determine my vote in October. I am not one to be bribed with trinkets and niceties.
With that being said, I would welcome an additional day to spend with my family, and I do not think I am in the minority. In today's economic climate, more so in Toronto than other parts of the province, many families must have both parents employed outside the home to survive. (I would say "most families" based on my personal experience, but I do not have statistical data to support that claim.) Many of those parents would rather spend more time with their children and/or spouse than at the office. This proposal seeks to acknowledge that desire and do something about it.
Regardless, it's not like the government is going to force Mr. Coyle to spend time with his relatives. Otherwise, we'd all be at a big birthday party for Queen Victoria every May instead of hitting the cottage with a two-four.
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