Redeye

Every December, students across Canada enjoy a two-week break to celebrate Christmas. In spring, Good Friday and Easter Monday bring further celebrations and a long weekend. But for Canadian students who want to mark celebrations in their own traditions, it often means being marked “absent” from school. A research professor who worked with high school students in Alberta says Canada should recognize celebrations like Eid, Diwali and Lunar New Year as public holidays. We speak with Dr. Rahat Zaidi, research professor in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.