The Canadian Myth is falling apart, and we should let it

Graphics by Ann Villegas.

As I write this, there are numerous acts of teaching, healing, resistance, and mutual aid, happening in the name of Indigenous people and their lives. As a writer and feminist, I am grateful and inspired. As a non-Indigenous Black Canadian, however, I find myself trying to better understand the place I hold in the Canadian "mosaic", and any harm I may unwittingly be supporting. As the daughter of immigrants, I have had to reconcile my appreciation for this country with the reality of its crimes against Indigenous people. 

We often discuss Indigenous issues concerning whiteness and white Canadians but forget that settlers and settler culture include immigrants of colour and their families. The immigrant-settler identity and all the nuance that comes with it requires people of colour to ask ourselves what intentions we hold and how we want those to manifest in our laws and code of conduct as Canadian citizens. When considering Indigenous people's struggles in Canada, we can start with the basics, but that would lead to even more questions—uncomfortable ones. Who? Numerous tribes, the federal government, and us as settlers. What? Land. Water. Children. Where? Everywhere. When? 200 years ago. 50 years ago. Five days ago. Yesterday. All the time. Why? To further a colonial project and to allow white supremacy to sit comfortably in our social institutions. It is, after all, white supremacy that built this country. How? Through meticulous social, economic, and political moves and messaging— some overt, others more subliminal. 

“When we think of colonial rulers or the building of an empire, our minds travel to the British or American conceptions of domination and subjugation of Native people. However, these practices are alive and well in this country.”

When we think of colonial rulers or the building of an empire, our minds travel to the British or American conceptions of domination and subjugation of Native people. However, these practices are alive and well in this country. In a recent report from the CBC, over the last decade, the Canadian government has quietly spent 3.2 million dollars (our taxes, our money) fighting St. Anne's residential school survivors in court. As Canadians, we often tell ourselves that we are "less severe" than some of our peers on the world stage. This mindset contributes to an outright refusal to confront white supremacy in our country, which becomes branding utilized by Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party underlined by the recent Trump administration. However, not being "like the United States" does not automatically translate to "anti-racist utopia". Because our racism is not interpreted as loud or overt, we tell ourselves it does not exist. We tell ourselves "diversity is our strength", and when members of our diverse nation address inequity, they are reprimanded. 

Today, much of our governmental relationships with Indigenous people stems from the Indian Act, which was introduced in 1876. Then there are treaties, which are constitutionally recognized agreements between "the Crown" and Indigenous communities. Most of these documents concern the use of ancestral Indigenous land in return for payments or promises. This means you and I, as treaties bound Canadian citizens, and it is a disgrace that we do not learn about them since land is something we all come into contact with all the time. This shame does not just lie in conservative circles, as mainstream social justice movements often erase Indigenous people and their contributions as well. Those interested in climate justice and the treatment of nature and animals should take Indigenous sovereignty and land conceptions into account as well. 

“We tell ourselves ‘diversity is our strength’, and when members of our diverse nation address inequity, they are reprimanded.”

Whether you bore witness or looked away in shame, we saw with the Wet'suwet'en, and now Mi'kmaq taking a stand, the myth of Canada being a "post-racial" or even non-aggressive and benevolent country is unravelling. As a state, Canada has and will do anything to preserve capital, including violence against Indigenous communities. It is up to Canadians to decide if this is the relationship we want with Indigenous people going forward or if we're going to be better than our predecessors and commit to a substantive reconciliation. Take the time to understand what treaties govern where you live, and what they mean for Indigenous communities around you. There are many incredible resources, Indigenous businesses, and organizations we can support. If you are a part of a progressive group already, centring anti-colonial knowledge and approaches is critical. There is no feminism, climate action, or pro-union/worker movement worth having that is not rooted in solidarity with Indigenous people. Support Climate Justice Toronto and RAVEN Trust, listen to the Alberta Advantage, pay reparations, buy Indigenous artwork, and more. 

The partnership between Mi'kmaq First Nations Coalition and Premium Brands Holding Corp to buy Clearwater Seafoods has inspired many. This concerns all settlers, as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and parts of Quebec are the native territories of the Mi'kmaq, and this purchase makes Clearwater a 50% First Nations owned company. Those of us committed to justice and reconciliation can celebrate this victory while also noting that the sacred livelihood of sea fishing has been threatened by corporate interests (which harms us all!) for decades, with the RCMP and Canadian government not honouring Supreme Court decisions. Vandalizing, property destruction, threats and physical violence at the hands of settler fishermen— aside from the fact that smartphones caught much of this, in this image, you could not tell the difference between Canada 2020 and Canada 1752. 

“There is no feminism, climate action, or pro-union/worker movement worth having that is not rooted in solidarity with Indigenous people.”

We must understand no one is an innocent bystander in the colonial project, since whether we know it or not, we benefit from what it produces. We owe Indigenous neighbours, past and present, more than empty Land Acknowledgments and emptier apologies. The Canadian "dream" is an actual nightmare for so many and acknowledging that it is a step towards unlearning so much propaganda. As settlers, we have a responsibility and ultimately is in our hands whether the myth of Canadian exceptionalism continues or dies with our generation. Instead of relying on stories that centre lies to form our identity, we must stand behind Indigenous people to envision what this country can be.