YOUR leader of September 12 complained about inadequate public consultation on my proposal to make St Andrew's Day a national holiday. You also question whether the different faiths of the people of Scotland will be comfortable about lining up behind an annual celebration founded on the life of a Christian saint.
The public consultation on my proposal began more than two years ago with an open invitation to respond to my consultation document. The enterprise and culture committee of the Scottish Parliament issued a similar invitation well over a year ago. I am unable to trace any response from The Herald but there was a very positive response to my document from the Scottish InterFaith Council on behalf of leaders of Christian churches, the Muslim community, the Jewish community, the Buddhist community, the Sikh community and the Baha'i Council for Scotland. They expressed support for my proposal, which they see as "an opportunity to celebrate the multifaith and multicultural nature of Scottish society as well as Scottish culture and history".
The First Minister expressed similar sentiments on Monday and I welcome such broad support for my proposal to give all the people of Scotland the opportunity to celebrate our national identity, our cultural diversity and our membership of the international community.
Dennis Canavan, MSP, The Scottish Parliament.
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