With Canada Day nearing, event organizers here in Manitoba and across the country say they are trying to balance celebrations of national pride with indigenous peoples and reflections on the country’s fractal history.
Last year, some events across the country were canceled or put on a smaller scale after potential graves were located at the former site of Kamloops Indian Residential School in BC – a discovery that has led to similar events at residential school sites across Canada. The flood gates were opened for investigation of sorts.
In Winnipeg, thousands of orange-clad people took to the streets in honor of residential school survivors a year ago, as part of a demonstration that culminated in the toppling of a large statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Manitoba Legislature.
That statue, along with a smaller statue of Queen Elizabeth II, has not been reinstalled, and Manitoba’s leaders said last week that Victoria’s monument was damaged beyond repair And won’t happen again.
Organizers of the popular Canada Day celebration in Forks have renamed the 2022 event “A New Day,” canceling fireworks and promising activities that are reflective as well as festive.
Saskatoon, Vancouver and Halifax are among other major Canadian centers taking a new approach to the national holiday with a focus on reconciliation.
Ethicist Neil MacArthur told Global News that the debate over how to properly recognize Canada Day is one that resonates more in a city like Winnipeg – with the nation’s largest urban Indigenous population – than in other regions.
“I think this is something that Manitoba is really at the forefront of,” he said.
“This is something that is happening in this part of the country and will probably be more prominent than in other parts of the country, but there are probably a lot of people who haven’t even heard of this debate.”
MacArthur said he feels it is important to recognize Canada Day as a way to somehow unite Canadians, at a time when we are more divided than ever.
“It is a source of unity for us at a time when we are truly divided, and this may be the real significance of Canada Day this year,” he said.
“I think the first goal should be to make sure that we celebrate in a way that brings us together and not separates us further.
“We have to balance celebration with reconciliation and respect…acknowledging the mistakes of the past and acknowledging the loss still going on is always going to be a part of it.”
He said the holiday could in a few years be something it was never intended to – an excuse for Canadians to be drunk and unpleasant. The focus on reconciliation can give people an opportunity to accept that the party aspect needs to be dialed back… especially since it’s a family holiday.
“This is a great time to talk to our kids about what it means to be Canadian, what Canada’s history is, but also what its future holds.”
University of Manitoba history and indigenous studies professor Sean Carleton told Global News that engaging with these kinds of difficult subjects is part of being Canadian.
“I think everyone is free to celebrate and mark each day as they wish – it’s one of the many things that Canadians take seriously,” he said.
“What is happening, however, is that there is a celebration of ‘Canada at best’ – a sentiment not shared by many of our treaty partners… many who are still grieving about the ongoing work and who Revelations are still being made.
“(Canada Day) is probably an occasion.. Find different ways to connect and establish meaningful relationships with people on that day.”
— With files from the Canadian Press
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