In the past weeks and months, every once in a while various
media sites discuss one group or another's attempt to rename a school, a street
or to take down a statue. In the USA it is usually because the individual (almost
always a male) the street, the school or the statue honours is a person who was
an active supporter of slavery. In Canada - it is because the person proposed
or enacted policies that were designed to limit or destroy the Indigenous way
of life.
I am of mixed minds about these attempt. While there is no
doubt that in the brilliantly shining light of twenty-first century hindsight,
these people were racist. Their policies whether they were intended or not,
were destructive, punitive and in many cases - soul destroying. However, I am
not always convinced that destroying all memory of these individuals is the
best way to teach histories and the lessons that we need to learn. There are
times when I wonder why we spend energies on these discussions when there is so
much more to do, things such as clean water or adequate health care and
education are critical to the well being of Indigenous Canadians.
Most recently CBC
reported the removal of a statue of Edward Cornwallis - the founder of Halifax
- from a city park. Indigenous leaders in Halifax had argued that Cornwallis
had authorize a cash bounty to anyone who killed a Mi'kmaw person and that
therefore his activities should not be publically celebrated. I have no allegiance
towards Cornwallis - I barely even recognized his name. I do not know if he did
anything of merit that warrants a statue, neither do I know if he actually
offered and paid out the cash bounty. However, I have no doubt that he was a
racists both in terms of Indigenous peoples and Africans.
What I find remarkable about the story was that a city
council who are usually far more concerned about budgets, pot holes and
by-laws, took the time to pass the motion to immediately get the statue out of
the park. I suspect that the majority of councillors and in fact the majority
of residents of Halifax could not have cared less if the stature stayed or
went. It was removed because a small number of people argued that they were
directly affected/offended by the statue and they were listened to. The Halifax
municipal councillors did not have to do what they did, they would not have
lost the next election if they had done nothing, they listened and responded.
I am not sure if Canadians recognize that at least
occasionally we live in a very special place. It is a place where a minority,
with no political, social or economic power base can influence people who have
or belong to a political, social or economic power base, and they can do it solely
by appealing to those people to do what is right. It will take another life time
or two to correct all of the profound injustices that have been dealt to those
Canadians from Indigenous communities. We have so much left to do - but I think
we should all have a little bit more hope and even a little bit more pride that
not only is change possible but in at least some parts of Canada, sometimes we
do what is right for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do.
