Ladies and Gentlemen, My MLA…
Cambridge MPP Gerry Martiniuk will not introduce the private member’s bill that would have seen Victoria Day renamed Victory in Europe Day.
Gerry Martiniuk is the Progressive Conservative critic for labour and seniors. It’s entirely appropriate because, like the union stewards at work, you only ever see him, or hear from him at election time.
The MPP stated he was concerned historical events such as the end of the Second World War would be forgotten with the passing of veterans and potential closure of Royal Canadian Legions.
Because when they were naming the holiday Victoria Day, they just picked the name Victoria at random out of the phone book.
I’m all in favour of doing something to remember World War Too (although you would think the critic for seniors would be aware of Remembrance Day), but the reason history gets lost is because we decide it’s a throw away commodity. Victoria Day was chosen as a holiday because it was the birthday of the longest reigning British monarch in history.
In Canada, 1837 to 1901 were big deal years. She reigned through our formative years as a country. She proclaimed us a country, signing the BNA act in March 1867. May 24 is her birthday, and so important to us we named a case of beer after her.
Simply put, you can’t cast aside history and complain history is being cast aside. Don’t take a holiday that celebrates an historical figures birthday, and change the name to something not relevant to that birthday, in the name of improving knowledge of history.
But hey, don’t blame me, I warned Tim Hudak he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.
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