Three-quarters of Manitobans are in favour of making September 30 – the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – a statutory holiday in Manitoba, a new Probe Research poll for the Winnipeg Free Press finds.

There is significant support for making this day, also known as Orange Shirt Day, a holiday on which employers are required to either provide time off or pay a premium to their employees. Nearly one-half of Manitobans are strongly in favour of this idea and another one-quarter express some support for it. One-quarter oppose this idea, including slightly more than one in ten who strongly oppose this proposed statutory holiday.

graph showing support for making Sept. 30 a statutory holiday in Manitoba

Although there is majority support for making Sept. 30 a statutory holiday among most sub-groups within the Manitoba population, those who are especially in favour of this idea include women, Winnipeg residents, younger adults, those with higher levels of formal education and those with lower household incomes. Not surprisingly, Indigenous Manitobans are slightly more likely to be in favour of making this a statutory holiday.

The only group that is significantly less likely to be in favour of this idea are those who would vote for the governing Progressive Conservative (PC) party – which to date has been reluctant to make Sept. 30 a statutory holiday. Only one-half of PC supporters are in favour of this idea, compared to more than nine in ten who prefer of those who prefer the NDP and more than eight in ten of those who would vote for the provincial Liberals.

About the Probe Research Omnibus

For more than two decades, Probe Research has undertaken quarterly omnibus surveys of random and representative samples of Manitoba adults. These scientific telephone surveys have provided strategic and proprietary insights to hundreds of public, private and not-for-profit clients on a range of social, cultural and public policy topics. The Probe Research Omnibus Survey is the province’s largest and most trusted general population survey.

Disclosure Statement

Probe Research is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and confirms that this research fully complies with all CRIC Standards including the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements. Learn more at: https://www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/por/

Methodology

Probe Research surveyed a random and representative sampling of 1,000 adults residing in Manitoba between May 31 and June 13, 2023.

With a sample of 1,000, one can say with 95 per cent certainty that the results are within ± 3.1 percentage points of what they would have been if the entire adult population of Manitoba had been surveyed. The margin of error is higher within each of the survey’s population sub-groups.​

The sample consists of 548 Manitobans randomly recruited via live-agent operator and 452 Manitobans randomly recruited via Interactive Voice Response (IVR). All respondents completed the survey on an online platform.

Modified random digit dialing, including both landline and wireless numbers, ensured all Manitoba adults had an equal opportunity to participate in this Probe Research survey.

Minor statistical weighting has been applied to this sample to ensure that age and gender characteristics properly reflect known attributes of the province’s population. All data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical analysis software.​