Shard

Recent Netflix movie "The Forgotten Battle" was very good. Dutch produced film about Battle of the Scheldt, in which Canadian troops were heavily deployed. Horrific times.

Former Lancastrian

Well I for one wasn't getting drunk last night but I can guess that private sector workers were also out getting drunk. One has to question why non essential workers are working today if their belief's are to honour those who fought. There again I expect many of these private sector workers demand that certain Govt workers work on Christmas Day, New Years Day or other days where they are not working and provide a level of service during the hours that they would never entertain working between.

Perhaps you could speak to your Management team and educate them on what Remembrance Day is all about and is it absolutely vital that any client calls need to be taken on such a day. Now of course as you are working from home wouldn't this have been the ideal opportunity to claim that you were having problems with your service provider and therefore could not take the call? Now while I appreciate that not all Govt workers are looked upon favourably perhaps you should cut them some slack and when embarking on your non essential trip back to the UK over the festive period look at your flight return times or departures and ask yourself this question would my employer provide this service?

Next time could you bait the hook with something more tastier.

dbd33

Government and banks have provision for Remembrance Day and for Reconciliation Day but I don't think anyone else does. I was in a meeting at 11, I could have postponed it but then I would have had to explain the idea of the minute of silence to the attendees and that's really not my place. If people want to take a day off for something important in their culture that's reasonable enough but I don't know that many would give up a day's pay for either of these occasions.

caretaker

It's 2 minutes silence, do try to keep up.

dbd33

Just as well I didn't attempt it, I wouldn't have known if it should be at 11 or 11:11 anyway.

JamesM

I have no doubt whatsoever that when a government worker works on Christmas Day they get a day off in lieu.

You don't have any days off because you are on here too much

Former Lancastrian

Im extremely happy that Xmas Day & Boxing Day falls on a Saturday & Sunday this year as that means we get Monday & Tuesday off as well. Now of course some of my comrades will have to work both days due to the private sector demanding that the Federally regulated border crossings be open to process travellers on these days. Those working will be compensated of course due to being Unionized and having bargained with their employers for this to occur which of course the public sector could choose to do.
I expect West Jet, Sunwing & Air Transat have already approached our Agency to ask them to provide coverage as they wish some of their charter aircrafts to land at 4am in the morning.
I sometimes wonder if I made the wrong decision by joining the Feds and should have chosen a job where I am a slave to the employer and rely on my ability to save and invest money for my future retirement rather than rely on the pittance that is called a pension

scrubbedexpat091

Today isn't a provincial stat holiday in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, so unless in a federally regulated industry in those provinces, employers don't have to give you the day off or pay you holiday pay.

It is a stat here in BC, but its just the usual closed, its not a holiday where everything basically shuts down, really only Christmas does that here, malls will adjust their hours to open at 11am as they do with most holidays, other retailers will have normal operating hours, even doctors are working today despite it being a holiday, well some doctors as my wife had an appointment today, but her pharmacy is closed, but then other pharmacies are open.

Being mostly in the airline and hotel world job wise, no day is a holiday.

I had never heard of the poppy thing before coming to Canada, today is a holiday in the US, but for a different reason and the poppy really isn't part of it, I sometimes will buy a poppy, but I mostly don't and I have never worn one.


Do federal workers in Canada working today get holiday pay? US Federal workers who don't get today off are at least paid extra, overall only about 19% of workers in US get today off as a holiday.

Former Lancastrian

We don't call it holiday pay but compensation in either pay at the agreed amount in our collective bargaining contract or taken as compensatory time rather than extra pay. Rate is usually 1.5 but in certain instances double time.

JamesM

I've seen your job on the telly. It is the best job in the world. You do it for love not money.

Former Lancastrian

Nah it's because we wear a uniform and I am told chicks dig uniforms. Granted we are not as hot as firefighters or pose in annual calendars to raise funds for worthy causes but change is on the way as internally we can purchase an annual calendar that feature our dogs in action.

kimilseung

Looking at the history of the Legion in the UK, and its formation from groups such as "Comrades of the Great War" and others, groups of various political persuasions, some of the left that drifted rightward, and others that started on the right; and who was not a part of the groups to join, "The National Union of Ex-Service Men", and their political position; it can be seen that The Royal British Legion was formed to bring most veterans interests and affairs under control, led by the Earl of Haig; who commanded at the Battle of the Somme. All towards the aim of converting the anger of WW1 veterans in to something less revolutionary, less progressive, more manageable by government. It converted anger to grief, and perhaps to praise. I wish the anger of the early days after WW1 was still with us on November 11th.