It came as no surprise to me to see activists ‘celebrating’ Canada Day by setting fire to churches and toppling statues of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, while chanting, ‘No pride in genocide.’
Canada has managed to cultivate a culture that is simultaneously self-hating and self-righteous. We have no pride in being Canadian. Yet we are confident we are better than everyone else.
It is true that Canada has a shameful not-so-distant history. An estimated 751 unmarked graves were recently discovered at a former residential school site in Saskatchewan. This is not an imagined or non-serious issue. But calls to cancel Canada Day seem wholly misguided and typically Canadian, as did prime minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the protests.
Trudeau dutifully said the word ‘accountability’ and commended Canadians for their bravery over the past year, participating in Zoom cocktail hours, ordering take out, and banging on pots and pans from the safety of their condos.
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