A provincial statutory holiday observed on the third Monday in February in most provinces. About two-thirds of all Canadians will have the day off on Family Day.
Alberta was the first province to introduce the statutory holiday in 1990 under the Premier at the time, Don Getty.
The establishment of the day created some controversy. Some people believed that the day was established as a response to a cocaine possession scandal one of the former Premier’s sons was involved in at the time. According to an archive, “Premier Getty was obviously embarrassed by the revelation and admitted publicly that he had neglected his family, saying that it was important for all Albertans to take more care with their families also.”