Edmonton politician to propose National Hockey Day
Linda Duncan will table private member's bill in House of Commons
Last Updated: Friday, February 20, 2009 | 11:54 AM ET
CBC Sports
Family Day. Hockey Day in Canada. And now, National Hockey Day?
Far from a done deal, it would fall around the same time as the aforementioned days, but would not be a statutory holiday.
So says Linda Duncan, who won the riding of Edmonton-Strathcona for the NDP in last October's federal election. She plans to table a private member's bill in the House of Commons Monday to have the third Friday in February declared National Hockey Day.
"In a time of recession and depression, why not a little good news?" she told the Globe and Mail in explaining the purpose of National Hockey Day.
Duncan was expected to announce her intentions at Vimy Ridge Academy on Friday, an Edmonton school with a hockey team comprised of girls and boys.
"I'm not adverse to it becoming a national holiday," she said.
'Unifying force'
Canada already recognizes Flag Day on Feb. 15, while Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island celebrate holidays in February.
Professional hockey would not be the focus of National Hockey Day, but rather the national game as a significant cultural force in communities.
"Hockey has served as a unifying force throughout our history and it is a significant facet of our national identity," Duncan told the Globe.
Upon tabling her private member's bill, Duncan would need someone to second the bill or it will vanish.
Private member's bills usually don't pass, but former Hamilton-Wentworth MP Sean O'Sullivan proposed declaring the beaver as a "symbol of the sovereignty of the Dominion of Canada" in 1975. Conservative leader Joe Clark seconded the bill and it was passed.
