Nearly six months after putting forth the original idea to make National Aboriginal Day a statutory holiday in the territory, the Yukon NDP finally got to discuss it in the legislature Wednesday.

The legislative assembly unanimously agreed to take the first steps on the path to establishing the new statutory holiday, since only Yukon First Nation governments give their employees the day off on National Aboriginal Day.

Though NDP MLA Kevin Barr’s original motion was to establish the holiday by June 21, 2016, it did not garner the support from the cabinet ministers who spoke yesterday.

Barr presented the house with a petition with more than 500 signatures on paper, and 150 online – all in favour of establishing a territorial statutory holiday in celebration of First Nations, Inuit and Métis heritage, diverse cultures and contributions throughout history.

All but one of the Yukon’s 14 First Nations either wrote letters and emails or verbally committed to supporting Barr’s endeavour.

Other organizations such as the Yukon Employees’ Union and the Yukon Federation of Labour gave the idea a thumbs-up.

The MLA gave examples of comments he frequently received this past summer, such as, “I always thought it was,” “It should be” or “It’s about time.”

If there was any hesitation toward the motion, Barr said, it comes down to greed.

“What we’re doing is something that’s going to happen,” he said.

“We don’t have to wait and prolong things.”

Community Services Minister Currie Dixon explained the nuts and bolts of what the motion would entail, legislation-wise.

He noted that Barr spoke about the issue with passion and conviction.

“(But), some additional considerations need to be made,” Dixon said.

The Employment Standards Act – the legislation that provides definitions of holidays and when stat holidays occur – would need to be amended to recognize a new holiday, he pointed out.

Other pieces of legislation from other departments would have to be looked at to ensure that all references to holidays are the same across the board.

And if the Employment Standards Act was changed, Dixon added, it’s normal practice to consult the public before any changes are made to territorial holidays.

“It would take time to properly conduct the legislative process,” he said. Community Services estimated the changes would take about a year to carry out, he added.

For Yukon government employees, changes to the Public Service Act could be used to create the statutory holiday.

Along with the consultation process, another obstacle arises that Barr alluded to.

“When we create a statutory holiday, we are creating a cost ... borne by small businesses,” Dixon said.

“I am uncomfortable passing a motion that commits us to create a statutory holiday by this June.”

Dixon introduced an amendment to Barr’s motion – adding a consultation phase with stakeholders about the “possibility” of declaring the statutory holiday and removing the timeline of establishing the holiday by 2016.

The alteration, he said, shows a path forward on the idea, while respecting the obligation to consult first.

Though the amended motion passed unanimously, both Barr and NDP MLA Jim Tredger called it “disappointing.”

“The member’s heart is in a good place with this motion,” Vuntut Gwitchin MLA Darius Elias said.

“It’s interesting for me as a Vuntut Gwitchin; basically, Aboriginal Day is every day.”

Elias echoed the concern brought forward by Dixon, in that a cost burden to small businesses may be incurred by the motion.

“When I looked at the press release ... it didn’t address that aspect of things that are realities in constituencies.”

The territory currently celebrates nine statutory holidays.

Discovery Day, on Aug. 17, is one that is unique to the territory.

The Northwest Territories established the National Aboriginal Day Act in 2001, which indicates that National Aboriginal Day is to be celebrated as a statutory holiday.

It is the only jurisdiction in Canada to recognize National Aboriginal Day as such, and has celebrated it this way for 14 years.

National Aboriginal Day became a national holiday in 1996, to be celebrated on the summer solstice each year.

Approximately one in four Yukoners identifies as being First Nations, Métis or Inuit.