I was frustrated to read that Cape Breton Regional Municipality deputy mayor Earlene MacMullin was ‘offended’ because the term ‘Canada Day’ was not used prominently for this year’s July 1st celebrations. I respectfully suggest she consider how ‘offensive’ the mass dispossession and obliteration of indigenous people and culture was and continues to be to the indigenous peoples of what is now Canada. July 1st celebrates the federation of four British colonies into a super-colony, which eventually evolved into modern Canada (we wouldn’t become completely independent until 1982, when the British parliament in London finally lost the right to create laws for Canada – yes, the 1980s!). July 1st wasn’t even known as ‘Canada Day’ until 1982, having been called ‘Dominion Day’ from 1867 to 1982. The term ‘Canada Day’ does not have a deep nor long history and it seems ironic that Ms MacMullin is offended by a decision not to use a term that is only 40 years old, given there are so many other injustices related to this topic that are far more offensive.
Personally, I am offended by the mass graves of children lying under ‘schools’ that were essentially a direct consequence of the events that we ‘celebrate’ on July 1st. I am offended by the destruction of cultures that are thousands of years old. I am offended by children being ripped from their parent’s arms. I am offended by people being treated as lesser humans because their skin colour is not pearly white. I am offended by the loss of rich languages that developed over the course of thousands of years, which can articulate the nuances of the Canadian landscape better than any imported European language. And, finally, I am offended that people are focussing on the semantics of what we should call July 1st instead of working to make our national day of celebration more inclusive and reflective of who we are as a modern, progressive country.
It is frustrating that elected members of the local government seem to be so blind to the hurt and injustice caused by the institutions that we celebrate on July 1st and, frankly, it belies their white privilege. In the words of Taylor Swift, they need to calm down. And they also need to learn the history of what July 1st represents and why it is not an inclusive term for many members of the community, including members of the communities they claim to represent.
This piece was published in the Cape Breton Post on 18 July 2022. Photograph by KeithJJ on Pixabay.
