The Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy

Progressive Dialogue and Policy for a Better Canada

Canada Day 2021: Reflections!

By

July 1, 2021

Canada Day 2021: Reflections!

By

Thoughts on Canada Day by:
– Patrick Dillon
– Kathryn Kotris
– Hon. Sergio Marchi
– Andrew Cardozo

1. Reflect and Build a better society
by Patrick Dillon

As we approach celebrating 154 years since the establishment of the Canadian federation, we must not lose sight of our country’s difficult colonial heritage to better-understand today’s challenges and opportunities facing Canadians. Recent events such as the horrific uncovering of Indigenous mass graves at Residential schools and the toppling of Victorian-era statues have exposed fault-lines between colonial legacies from the past and widely-shared, present-day norms about basic decency which shape how we reflect on those past events.

Even the harshest denunciation of past atrocities is rendered moot if it is not followed-up by meaningful actions today that address systemic inequalities. In that sense, unions have a critical role to play in tackling income inequality in particular, by advancing the right to collective bargaining which benefits all workers, regardless of race, class, gender, or any other social marker. Asserting the collective power of workers has been a driving force that has given rise to middle-class prosperity which we must continue to expand to all segments of our population.

Canada Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the past, but ultimately to come together and build a better and more inclusive country which in my view, is the ultimate goal of Reconciliation.

Canada Day 2021 is like on other. While the pandemic as sidelined plans for big events, the news of the thousands of unmarked graves as residential schools is gut wrenching. How could this have been happening here?
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The role of the bystanders
by Kathy Kotris

Two days ago I unraveled the Canadian flag on my front lawn. I had rolled it up held by a small bunny Angel to honour the 215 wee lost souls. It’s close to the road that is part of the National Trail where joggers, bikers, walkers use. It is torn and my MP a few new flags. Just yesterday I asked a friend to come by with Canada Day and place a new flag with 7 neighbourhood children to watch and sing O Canada. The children love the flag and dance around with it as a cape. Not doing that now.
I’m working from home with CBC on and in tears; feeling sorrow and dread that these abuses occurred without recourse. It’s the bystanders and those in the know that enrage me just as much as the abusers. There are more in the know than the dreadful abusers. How could they have turned away?
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The Catholic Church is badly adrift – needs to address residential schools tragedy
by Hon. Sergio Marchi

The news that US Catholic Bishops are considering denying President Biden holy communion, over his public stand on abortion, really hit a nerve with me. It takes a lot of gall, given the many missteps committed by the Church, for them to pursue such a frivolous campaign.

The Catholic Church is sadly and badly adrift. They’ve lost their moral rudder.

And just in case people think I want to cheaply heap scorn on the church, I am a Catholic. During my youth, I served as an alter boy and usher. I was quite involved with my local parish. I was a believer. But now, like so many in the dwindling flock, I have become disillusioned and ashamed of my Church.

The Church leadership can no longer ignore the profound internal decay. They must clean their own House, if they are to lead the global congregation by example. A litany of compelling issues awaits, including the few below.

First, Biden is only the second Catholic President in US history. He is a man of faith, has experienced multiple personal tragedies, continues to be a empathetic public servant, and actually took the time to attend Mass on the very day of his inauguration. The Church should count it’s blessings and celebrate his leadership, rather than questioning whether he is fit for communion. You don’t need a report from Bishops. Just like years ago, when the Canadian Church considered going after Prime Minister Chretien for the same ‘offence’. How petty. Talk about fiddling while your House is burning.

Second, the Church should finally ordain women priests. There is an acute shortage of priests across the globe. More importantly, welcoming women into the fold would allow the Church to catch up with other societal institutions, who are becoming gender inclusive, and benefiting immeasurably from providing women a meaningful place in their organizations. As we are all supposedly created equal, how can the Church, in 2021, continue to exclude women from the priesthood?

Third, allow priests to marry. Celibacy makes no sense. Worse, it has led to an extensive sexual abuse epidemic that has profoundly shaken people’s trust. Abusing youngsters, while professing that we should all love and serve the Lord, is the height of a sickening hypocrisy. Priests would be capable of serving their God and their immediate family. In fact, I would argue that this would make them better servants of the people, as they would be more understanding of the everyday challenges that families face.

Fourth, stop the double standard over homosexuality. Church leaders continue to deny the rights that belong to all of God’s children. In the explosive book, ‘In the Closet of the Vatican’, by the French writer, Frédéric Martel, he reveals with exhaustive research, the double lives of priests, the widespread use of gay dating apps, Cardinals living with their young ‘assistants’, orgies in the Vatican, and the massive cover up of sexual abuse cases. The central and disturbing question of the book is, if the Vatican and the global Church can turn a blind eye on homosexuality within their ranks, why callously wage war on homosexuals outside the church?

Finally, rather than generating more excuses, Pope Francis should issue an immediate and formal apology to Canada’s Indigenous community for the abuse that their children suffered under the former Residential School system, which was predominantly run by the Catholic Church.

The recent discovery of hundreds of graves at former residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan was particularly disturbing and heart wrenching. It constitutes a huge stain on the integrity of the Church. Unfortunately, more unmarked graves will likely be discovered across the country. In the face of such heinous crimes, it is simply inconceivable that the Church cannot bring itself to say sorry.

The Church has many sins to answer for. It is overdue for a lengthy confession. Granted, it’s clergy are mere mortals, and therefore prone to committing mistakes. But it is their refusal to recognize and account for their trespasses that is most unconscionable. As such, these travesties undermine its soul, blinds its vision, and offends millions of followers. Where have all the good shepherds gone?

The Pope and his Church must radically change course if they are to have a sustainable future. Attack the decay. End the hypocrisy. Renew people’s faith. And abandon the strategy of deflection and the pursuit of senseless ‘rabbit tracks’. If not, the Church will eventually and deservedly wither into irrelevancy.

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Dialogues on diversity is what we need
by Andrew Cardozo

“They made us believe we didn’t have souls,” Elder Florence Florence Sparvier, a residential school survivor, told press conference in Cowessess, Saskatcehwan.
Canada Day 2021 and this entire period has been a time for reflection. We are a good country. We have the self-confidence to know that we have lots of strengths. And in that confidence, we also have the ability to be self-critical to recognize the bad parts of our history, or the problems we have today, and to make amends, or at least to try to do better.

What can we do? Many things, but here is one idea, a thoughtful national Dialogue on Diversity. There are many ways to do this, but as a nation we must listen to each other, and most importantly we must listen to those with grievances. That’s how we build a better country.

The discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools has not been a surprise to most Indigenous People, but it is the harsh reality that has triggered for many, the many real stages of grief. Made more devastating by the fact that they have been saying this for years and governments and the rest of society either had not believed them or just looked the other way.
This tragic discovery has become a precipitating event that has been a shock for non-Indigenous Canadians, for the political class and the mainstream media. We somehow missed Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, and all the conversation on this for years.

2020 and 2021 have also seen other aspects of racism come to the fore. With the killing of George Floyd in the U.S., our racism problems became much more apparent. Once again it was the precipitating event there that caused us to become more aware in Canada. In addition to systemic and overt racism faced by Indigenous Peoples for years, the reality of anti-Black racism has become more evident. Anti-semitism as reach new heights – or should we say new depths. Islamophobia, on the rise, saw the killing of a Muslim family in London, Ontario, in June. And with the rise of Covid, we have seen the ridiculous anti-Asian acts of overt racism and racial violence.

(The full article will be published in the Hill Times, July 5. 2021)