At the time, loyalty to the Crown was seen as something that distinguished Canadians from Americans. Due to this, the birthday of Queen Victoria, May 24, was chosen to be a public holiday in 1845.
This makes it Canada's oldest official holiday.
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This makes it Canada's oldest official holiday.
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By the 1890s, it was seen as a patriotic holiday.
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After her death in 1901, the holiday was made a statutory holiday in perpetuity.
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From 1910 to 1952, the day only honoured Queen Victoria's role as the "Mother of Confederation". The reigning monarch's birthday was celebrated in June.
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It was changed from the fixed day to the last Monday before May 25. This ensured that Canadians would always receive a long weekend to start the summer.
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In 2013, there was an effort to change the name to Victoria and First Peoples Day. While it had several notable supporters, it was not considered in Parliament.
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