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'One minute of silence...Doug Ford is not for the people': Ontario residents split over decision to mark Queen's funeral as 'day of mourning'

The Government of Canada will have a federal holiday on Monday to observe the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, but Ontarians mostly won’t have the day off.

After Justin Trudeau declared a federal holiday on Sept. 19 to mark the Queen’s funeral, news came shortly that Ontario will not have a provincial holiday on Monday to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Instead, Premier Doug Ford said Ontario will mark Sept. 19 — the day of the Queen’s funeral in London — “as a provincial day of mourning in lieu of a provincial holiday.”

“The people of Ontario may observe a moment of silence at 1 p.m. on that day,” Ford said.

Monday, Sept. 19, will mark a “federal holiday” and will apply to federal government employees.

Last year, Ontario also did not observe National Truth and Reconciliation Day, another federal holiday, as a provincial statutory holiday.

Doug Ford’s decision received a mixed reaction from the public—mostly negative.