Par Elizabeth Sharpe,
Base Public Affairs Intern
On Wednesday, February 24, join CFB Halifax/MARLANT for a special Pink Shirt (Anti-Bullying) Day in support of bullying prevention in our community. Our 2021 theme is “Choose Kindness”, a simple and important message that reminds us all to be kind to ourselves and those around us. We encourage everyone to practice kindness and wear pink shirts on Pink Shirt Day as part of a larger global conversation around respect, civility and compassion in our workplaces, our schools and at home. This conversation is more important now than ever as we continue to navigate our lives around the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Forces Base Halifax is committed – along with our colleagues across the greater Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces community – to creating a workplace free of harassment and violence where all employees are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness.
CFB Halifax and PSP are thrilled, once again, to have Fundy Textile & Design Limited, a DND Family Days sponsor for over 15 years, as the t-shirt sponsor for Pink Shirt Day. With the support and co-sponsorship of their t-shirt supplier, SanMar Canada, the two companies are providing 600 custom pink shirts that will be available for purchase at CFB Halifax for anyone interested in supporting the cause.
These custom tees will be sold on Tuesday, February 23, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the following locations:
- MARLANT HQ lobby (Dockyard – Bldg D201);
- FMF Cape Scott main lobby (Dockyard – Bldg D200);
- Base HQ, 2nd floor (Stadacona – Bldg S90);
- Common Support Training Facility lobby (Stadacona – Bldg S120);
- TEME lobby (Willow Park – BLdg WL57); and
- Shearwater HQ (Shearwater – Bldg SH251).
Shirts will be available in Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and 2X-Large sizes while quantities last.
Proceeds from the 2021 #CFBHalifax Pink Shirt Day sales campaign will be designated for two local, non-profit organizations via the National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign: LOVE (Nova Scotia) et The Youth Project. These organizations’ programming promotes healthy relationships and the cultivation of safe spaces.
For CAF members who would like to wear their own pink shirts on February 24, the $2 Dress with a Difference fee will be in effect. This fee will be waived for CAF members who purchase a custom, 2021 CFB Halifax pink shirt. Civilian Defence Team members are encouraged to purchase a CFB Halifax pink shirt or wear their own in support of this important cause as well. Submit photos of you, your colleagues (or even your pets!) wearing pink to Base Public Affairs at CFBHalifaxPublicAffairs@forces.gc.ca ou cfbhalifaxpublicaffairs@gmail.com.
Pink Shirt Day 2021 Rules/Regulations:
- No virtual sales for those working-from-home, however a member can appoint someone else to purchase a shirt in-person on their behalf;
- Maximum purchase of two shirts per individual (can buy one for them and one for a co-worker or two for co-workers; members cannot purchase two for themselves);
- Cash only, with exact change strongly encouraged to limit contact;
- Masks mandatory at all times for shirt sellers and buyers, with six foot physical distancing enforced;
- No pre-sales;
- If shirts are still available at the end of the day on 23 February, additional sales may be conducted on 24 February in fewer locations. Details on second day of sales will be released on CFB Halifax social media by 4 p.m. AST on 23 February; and
- If there is a storm day on 23 February, sales will begin on 24 February.
La Journée du chandail rose
Pink Shirt Day is an annual celebration that encourages people to wear a pink shirt as a way to take a stand against bullying, while fostering compassion and raising awareness. Now a movement celebrated across the globe, Pink Shirt Day was inspired by an act of kindness in Nova Scotia: in 2007, David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, Nova Scotia, bought and distributed 50 pink shirts after a 9. grade student named Charles McNeill was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on his first day of school. Today, Pink Shirt Day is all about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity, creating communities of respect and promoting positive social relationships. There are numerous benefits to creating a civil and respectful workplace. Practicing small, everyday acts of civility and kindness can go a long way to help everyone feel safe, comfortable and respected.
