Should sovereigntists applaud or condemn the calls to cancel Canada Day? The 751 unmarked graves next to the Marieval Residential School in Saskatchewan – uncovered less than a month after the 215 remains at Kamloops Indian Residential School in BC – have increased the temperature well past the boiling point in some quarters, resulting in serious demands to suspend Canada’s national holiday indefinitely..As of this writing, communities in New Brunswick, as well as the cities of Penticton and Victoria, BC, have cancelled Canada Day, opting either for an untitled holiday or activities with local First Nations at a later date. I have no doubt more municipalities will join in the move as July 1 approaches – even the federal government will likely observe a few minutes of mourning on what used to be a happy day..With all this outrage directed towards the federal government, vis a vis the residential schools, is now the time for sovereigntists to seize the narrative? Should those in favour of abandoning Ottawa use this emotional energy as a catalyst to achieve real progress on their agenda? Is the enemy of my enemy my friend, or does guilt by association still make Western provinces share the guilt with Ottawa?.Analyzing our current dilemma requires some historical context. The Canada we currently inhabit is not the Canada that even elder boomers were born into, let alone the the generations that fought in two world wars. Before 1967, there existed a different flag, self-conception, traditional loyalty, as well as fundamental logistical direction if former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s pivot to developing the North is to be taken seriously..Then Lester B. Pearson, who was essentially made prime minister thanks to the chicanery of President John F. Kennedy, decided to refound Canada, changing the flag, emphasizing the anthem, and instilling the idea Canada ought to resemble the multicultural mosaic of downtown Toronto, over the colonial identity as Britain’s loyal child. When Pierre Trudeau took over, the project continued until it was codified by our patriated constitution in 1982..Today, we live in a post nation-state dreamed up by largely irreligious, urban, wealthy, Laurentian elites who wanted to rule Canada from a lake house near Ottawa. New conquests in the old empires of Russia or Turkey had more rights than Western provinces do today, and the amendment formula for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms makes it impossible to change. Calling Canada a broken country is an understatement..But now we must ask: “Where to form here?” If the post-1967 Canada is broken – founded explicitly on a conception that was to leave every Canadian outside the Laurentian watershed behind – then our current political arrangement cannot be allowed to continue and must be discarded..With the impetus of almost a thousand children’s remains discovered next to just two residential schools, the “Canada is an inherently evil country” lobby has kicked into overdrive, making far more progress in a few minutes than sovereigntists have in years when it comes to delegitimizing Canada. A once-proud country with its own money, military, and Olympic team has no more birthday..The temptation to join forces with a such a powerful set of allies is perhaps understandable, just as striking now while the iron is hot from outrage also seems like a good strategy. But a couple words of caution are in order. First and foremost, what is the ultimate goal of the Western sovereignty movement? A reforming and decentralizing of confederation, or a complete secession from the dominion we still call Canada?.Second, is the sovereignty movement a primarily political alliance, or is it an identitarian movement? If it’s all just politics, then anybody will do for situational allies. But if there is a deeper question of identity – what it truly means be a Westerner – then there are limits to who can join in the project, as without true belonging, trust cannot ensue. This will be the most difficult question to answer..Finally, who’s driving this bus? Several players are currently in the field vying for supremacy, but it ought to be noted those who help start a revolution are almost never there to see it to its conclusion. This is often because they ally with a far better organized and brutal group of agitators who were searching for a vehicle to manifest their own destinies at the expense of everyone else. Does that sound familiar?.Of course, all this is based in my deeply held biases. But we must be honest about the risks of getting into business with any group or individual who would seek to illegitimate the Canada of 2021 based on the sins of the Canada of 1867. If those in favor of sovereignty truly wish to build a better country based on strength, honour, courage and virtue, they cannot build it on the ruined foundation of a country that hates itself..Nathan Giede is the BC Political Affairs Columnist and the host of Mountain Standard Time
