Another Canada Day has passed, and another chance to reflect on the challenges that remain if we are to become a truly vibrant, inclusive democracy that takes responsibility for its treatment of all its citizens.
Category: Colonialism
The Trans Mountain Scandal: Why Aren’t Canadians Angrier?
We trust our corporate colonizers and their political handmaidens and ignore the evidence that might demand we act to assume our democratic responsibilities. If Cecil Rhodes were alive and a Canadian today, he’d be an oil industry CEO or a Bank President.
CBC’s Colonized Economic Reporting
We have been schooled to accept that the disposition of excess (and unearned) profits – really, public rents transferred to the private sector – is purely a matter for corporate decision-makers. Democracy be damned. Climate emergency be damned. Future generations be damned. This is modern colonialism, folks…….
The Irishman: The Hit Man Is Us
We finally got around to watching Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman (all 209 minutes of it!) over two evenings on Netflix last week. I was blown away by the extraordinarily nuanced performances of Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Acting at its very best. And what a challenge for the director – imagine containing those… Continue reading The Irishman: The Hit Man Is Us
Colonialism: The Home Front – Bay du Nord
Much has been made of the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC’s) acknowledgement in its Sixth Assessment Report that persistent colonialism is a causal factor (with “high confidence”, no less) for catastrophic climate change. And it is a noteworthy addition. However, both the wording in the report and much of the positive reaction to it underestimate the pervasiveness of colonialism and colonial relationships beyond the obvious geopolitical level.
Bay du Nord: The Avoidable Fiasco
The Trudeau Liberals decision to approve a massive new oil and gas development in the deep and stormy waters of the North Atlantic off Newfoundland and Labrador is a perfect illustration of corporate colonialism at work. Big Oil has had its way. The rest of us be damned! From the disingenuous impact assessment process behind… Continue reading Bay du Nord: The Avoidable Fiasco
Recollections from The Dene Rights Struggle in the NWT
what was it I shared with the Dene that energized my participation in their fight for recognition of their rights?……In a nutshell, colonial forces and experiences pervade all our lives, though they are manifested in very different ways and to very different degrees. Nevertheless, common cause in opposing those forces is natural.
The Colonial Experience
A discourse on the nature of the colonial relationship, typical of Indigenous/settler relations, but also pervasive in late capitalist societies.