Canada wasn’t born yesterday… or 150 years ago for that matter!
At Old’s Cool we want you to go into Canada Day weekend conscious of what is being celebrated.
Basically, you are celebrating the official proclamation that this land was dominated by the British and it was going to enforce the same law and government across the country as it had in Britain, that’s why they called the Constitution “The British North America Act” on July 1st, 1967.
Everything, that we need to know is said in that title: the British own this.
We now live in a world that is based in power and domination, so that doesn’t seem like the worst thing ever, because isn’t that what governments are supposed to do – force themselves on everyone? Well, we don’t agree with that. We know (from decades of research) that there are forms of governance that are based on collaboration and power-sharing.
The law that we celebrate here in Canada has been a double edged sword: privileging some while punishing others, spreading butter on one hand while slicing off another.
Did you know:
- Aboriginal people did not get the right to vote in Canada until 1960.
- Most People of Colour did not have the right to vote until 1948, even if they were British subjects.
- The last residential school for Aboriginal Children was closed…wait for it, no not 1950 or 60… 1996.
- While White Europeans were being given FREE land and GRANTS to settle and farm Canada, people from other countries were being denied entry into Canada by several specific exclusion acts. This was an intentional act because as one Prime Minister said:
“We will endeavour to keep this country as White as Possible in the matter of race.”
Who decided these things: Our Government
What was their basis: Our Law
I could go on, and on and on and on and on. But nobody will read that much. So let’s sum this up: British guys came to Canada, they waged war, they said we won, they made laws in their favour and said we will now govern this whole country forever.
We ask that this Canada Day, you think about all the folks who might not be celebrating and why. Don’t dismiss the protestors…. maybe even ask them why, why are they spending their time fighting when they could be binge watching Netflix. They might have something important to share.
Thanks people and have a Conscious Canada Day!
