A letter from the Bishops of Nova Scotia to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Halifax, the Dioceses of Antigonish and Yarmouth, to fellow Christians, and to all who seek a more compassionate society:

On Saturday October 16, 2004 Nova Scotians will be asked to vote in a plebiscite on whether to approve Sunday shopping. The question is certainly not simple, for it will have significant implications for each person and every family in the years ahead.

Those who favour Sunday shopping suggest that we in Nova Scotia should become like most North Americans—seven day a week consumers. We suggest this is the time that Nova Scotians dare to be different.

What does it mean to be different in this situation? Our unique Nova Scotia way of life sees family time as integral to our culture. The human need for rest from weekday routines—the time needed to nurture strong relationships with immediate and extended family—is essential for a healthy community and society.

Any supposed “right” to shop on Sunday needs to be balanced with the rights of retail workers—a growing number in our service oriented society— their right to a day of rest, their right to a “common day” when friends can come together, their right to a day with family for recreation, family gatherings, common activities, and worship together. Nova Scotians have constantly stood firm for the rights of working people; we should be no less concerned about them today. With Sunday shopping, no worker has a real choice not to work on Sundays.

Sunday shopping adds few new dollars to the market place. It does add one more day when retailers seek to garner a larger share of Nova Scotia dollars. Small retailers are then forced to compete in a Sunday shopping market while costs and stress increase. Sunday shopping gives no real choice to retailers either.

For those who share the Christian tradition, Sunday allows us to come together in community to celebrate our faith. For the Christian, Sunday—the whole day—is devoted to communal worship and grateful praise to God, the giver of all gifts. Sunday is that day of the week when we worship and attend to family members in their human dignity and not as consumers. Sunday is the day when we attend to our home bound family and friends, when we have time to care for our ill and infirm relatives, when we play with our children and fellow adults, when we take time to grow in our relationships with fellow human beings and our God.

On October 16^th we ask that you dare to be different, different in your support of families, workers, and basic human needs. We ask that you support a healthy community—healthy materially, socially, economically and spiritually. We ask that you join us and fellow Nova Scotians by getting out to vote NO in the plebiscite.

May the Lord continue to bless us with peace and prosperity so to serve those in need in the name of Jesus Christ.

Sincerely yours,

Terrence Prendergast, S.J. Archbishop of Halifax Apostolic Administrator Diocese of Yarmouth

Raymond J. Lahey Bishop of Antigonish

Claude Champagne, O.M.I. Auxiliary Bishop of Halifax, Resident in Yarmouth