Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Justice. When are we going to get a family day, Mr. Speaker?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are no plans to make family day a territorial holiday. Thank you.
It's about three months without a statutory holiday, depending when Easter lies, and it is a dark time of the year for many people. Are there any plans to add a statutory holiday in between New Years and Easter?
Is there anything preventing the Minister of Justice passing a holiday? Legislatively, is there anything preventing us from creating another statutory holiday?
Creating a new statutory holiday would go through the same legislative process as amending other pieces of legislation, so it is within the power of the government and the Assembly working together to make something like that happen. No, there are no barriers.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has any work been done to consult the people of the Northwest Territories about whether they would like another holiday? I really have a hard time believing that, if we listen to the will of the people, they would not want a Family Day, so my question: has the department done any work reviewing the number of holidays and asked the people whom we serve whether they want a Family Day, Mr. Speaker?
We have about as many holidays as other jurisdictions. We do not have Family Day. We have Aboriginal Day, which is not a holiday outside of, I believe, the NWT and Yukon. We have the same number of holidays as everyone else, and, no, we have not gone out and asked, "Should we have more holidays?" Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
