Bill S-213

2nd Session, 41st Parliament,

62-63 Elizabeth II, 2013-2014

senate of canada

BILL S-213

An Act respecting Lincoln Alexander Day

Whereas Colonel The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander demonstrated, through his life’s pursuits, a longstanding interest in and commitment to serving his country and his community;

Whereas Colonel The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander had a long and distinguished record of public service, including as an airman in the Royal Canadian Air Force, as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons and a Minister of the Crown, and later as the twenty-fourth Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario;

Whereas Colonel The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander was the first Black Canadian to be elected as Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, to be appointed as Cabinet minister and to be appointed as Lieutenant Governor;

Whereas Colonel The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander was a passionate advocate for the advancement of education, race relations and youth issues, including by serving as Chancellor of the University of Guelph and Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation;

And whereas the Parliament of Canada wishes to honour and recognize the significant contributions of Colonel The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander to Canada by designating January 21 — the day of his birth in 1922 — as “Lincoln Alexander Day”;

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

1. This Act may be cited as the Lincoln Alexander Day Act.

LINCOLN ALEXANDER DAY

2. Throughout Canada, in each and every year, the twenty-first day of January shall be known as “Lincoln Alexander Day”.

3. For greater certainty, Lincoln Alexander Day is not a legal holiday or a non-juridical day.