Skip to main content

Alberta decides on day of mourning, not stat holiday, for Queen's funeral

Share

Alberta is opting for a day of mourning rather than a statutory holiday for the Queen's funeral next Monday.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, Sept. 19, will be a federal holiday and a national day of mourning as Queen Elizabeth II's funeral takes place in the United Kingdom.

The holiday will apply to federal government employees, but not automatically to people who work in federally-regulated industries, like airlines, banks and post offices.

"The National day of mourning is an opportunity for Canadians from coast to coast to coast to commemorate Her Majesty," the prime minister said.

Alberta will hold an outdoor ceremony at the legislature in Edmonton on Monday at 10 a.m. It will start with a moment of silence and workplaces and schools are encouraged to observe it.

Employers are encouraged to allow workers to attend the ceremony or mark the occasion and schools are encouraged to offer students ways to mourn. Edmonton Public Schools will observe the moment of silence, and staff and students will have the option to watch the province's ceremony livestream.

"I sincerely hope that Albertans find some time on this day to honour the remarkable life of Queen Elizabeth II and I strongly encourage employers and schools to appropriately mark this sombre and historic occasion," Premier Jason Kenney wrote in a release.

More details about the ceremony will be available on the province's website.

Alberta is following a similar approach to Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, while the Atlantic provinces have declared Sept. 19 a one-time holiday.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M

A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.

Stay Connected