why don't American politicians do this?

There's a candidate here who's running for election (or re-election) by promising to add a new 3-day holiday in February.

The Ontario Liberals have vowed to create a new statutory holiday in February provided they're re-elected on Oct. 10, but critics suggest it's merely a ploy to grab votes and divert attention from the government's many broken promises. Dubbed "Family Day," the third Monday of the calendar's shortest month would be aimed at recognizing the importance of Ontario families by giving people more time to spend with their loved ones.

"Ontarians work very, very hard. Ontario winters are very, very long and Ontarians deserve a statutory holiday in February," Finance Minister and Liberal campaign chairman Greg Sorbara said. "I think this is going to be very, very welcome in Ontario. It's something we've talked about for more than a decade."

While even Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory wouldn't disagree with the fact Ontarians could really use a break in February, he suggested the timing of the announcement is just a tad opportunist. "The gap between New Year's Day and Easter is a long gap and I'm all for family having a day to be together," Tory said just before boarding his campaign bus.