It has carried on since then, so it has been around for a while.
Then when I became mayor, it was rewarding, because my council at the time supported celebrating, not a day off but the celebration and coming together on June 21.
I was the mayor for 12 years, from 2003 to 2015. Throughout the years, I've talked to politicians, agencies, and elders. The way I work, I always get input from elders wherever I go; and wherever I go, I talk to school-aged kids, teachers, even police officers, and everyone else. My conversations for many years have been inclusive of all in talking to Canadians across the country.