The potential holiday draws near
If my calculations are correct (and the data set is accurate) then 56% of my fellow citizens now enjoy a mid-winter civic holiday. As of this year, four provinces have designated the third Monday in February as Family Day. One more province and we’re at the level of participation that could be used for things like constitutional amendments. Come on Maritimes! And Newfoundland. You can push this whole numbers game over the two-thirds required. Just out of curiosity, who used that number with a country composed of ten provinces. Can we say “it does not compute” in either official language?
To me, the more important side to the story is that we’re finally starting to agree over the need for a holiday in February. Winter is a state of mind, and a new holiday would make me mind it less and less. I might even forget my long running campaign to get the groundhog into the ranks of the dead queens, flags, pumpkins and babes in mangers. After all, I could probably put off the holiday for the minimum of fifteen days required (calendars are so much fun to manipulate).
I’m not a gambler, but this one is probably going to make it if we can wait for a few years. A few more union leaders, a tourism minister or three, some more flurries (no, not that…), and we’ll have a day to relax during the long cold stretch. There’s a possibility that I’ll be retired from the school board by then, so the occasional snow day will just be a faintly remembered perk, but I’ll be able to get in stride with the parade. I promise.
