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Canada Day Musings
Well, it’s that time of the year again, time for our annual masturbatory exercise in flag-waving and kitschy nationalism. Yes, it’s Canada Day, and I’m feeling a little grinchy.
Canada Day goes back a long way, almost all the way back to Confederation. In it’s earlier days, it was known as Dominion Day, a name which positively reeks of British colonialism. Inspired by the patriation of the constitution, the name was changed to Canada Day in 1982 by the somewhat more enlightened liberal-democratic wing of our capitalist rulers.
Now, in writing this article I may be accused of unfairly politicizing Canada Day, but Canada Day is a political event regardless. This year, the federal government spent $6.7 million on organizing Canada Day festivities, the majority of which ($3.7 million) went to Quebec. No doubt, our anglo-chauvinist government is proud to subsidize triumphalist displays of colonialism in the streets of Quebec. In Ottawa, spectators were treated with the militaristic display of a Snowbirds fly-by. The whole notion of patriotism has long been a tool of the bourgeoisie to promote a largely English-Canadian and settler concept of national chauvinism, which is used to divide the working class and convince us that we share the same national interest as the ruling class. Capitalist politicians in Canada are all to eager to victimize non-white people by pander to nativist sentiments in order to build support based on wedge issues – witness the debates on “reasonable accomodation” or the wearing of religious and cultural implements which do not conform to WASPish cultural standards such as headscarves and kirpans.
Progressive left-nationalism of the sort that imagines Canada as an oppressed nation is nearly equally misguided – Canada is not a colony of the US whose interests need to be defended, rather it is just a run of the mill second tier imperialist power. Similarities in foreign policy and trade deals which negatively impact the Canadian working class are not the result of US bullying, they are simply the result of the Canadian and American ruling class having similar interests based on their class unity. While these trade deals and foreign policy similarities should be opposed, they should be done so from perspectives of international solidarity and class struggle, not national chauvinism.
Can we at least be proud of Canada’s role as a peacemaker on the world stage? Sadly, no. In spite of the image of Canada as a peaceful country cultivated by the elites for domestic consumption, Canada’s behavior on the world stage is not much different or better than that of any other imperialist country. Canada’s brutal imperialist adventures in Afghanistan and Haiti have been particularly shameful, as well as the providing of diplomatic support to the apartheid state of Israel during recent conflicts. And like any imperialist country with a military-industrial complex, we have our share of war profiteers as well; numerous Canadian companies produce parts of weapons systems and ammunition, while others reap the rewards of the invasion of Afghanistan. On a less dramatic but equally imperialist level, Canadian mining companies are particularly well-known for their exploitative practices in the global South.
Focusing a little more inward, Canada is essentially a colonialist settler state whose foundations rest on the exploitation of the indigenous population. Capitalist development in the land popularly known as Canada required the displacement of indigenous people. Struggles against colonialism continue today across Canada, with flashpoints in various communities facing a variety of immediate threats. In addition, there is the racism and injustice that indigenous people and communities face on a daily basis, none of which makes the news except occaisionally through the lens of a mass media which is thoroughly influenced by settler ideologies.
And the Canadian state continues to oppress the white working class as well. In the wake of economic crisis, the state is complicit in the assaults on the working class and ensuring capitalist dominance can continue post-crisis. Auto workers have been forced to take concessions, and there is no doubt that workers in the public sector will be facing a massive onslaught in the coming months – municipal workers in Toronto are already on strike against a municipal government led by a so-called ‘progressive’ mayor demanding concessions. Women’s rights are also under attack by the current government – the gutting of funding to women’s groups and the attacks on pay equity clearly show that the Canadian state is also an oppressor of women and has a hand in continuing the system of patriarchy.
So, in conclusion, there is not a heck of a lot worth celebrating on Canada Day. The Canadian state plays a major role in capitalist exploitation and oppression both at home and worldwide. But, for all that is wrong with Canada, it’s a day off work and I’ll drink to that momentary emancipation from the slave bondage of capitalism.
Brian Latour is a student, activist, and student activist living in Winnipeg. Read more by Brian Latour.
