This past Canada Day, not all was patriotic fireworks and maple leaf face tattoos. The Stop Harper Day Rally took place in Vancouver’s Victory Square, between noon and 2:00 p.m., with several speakers taking the platform to talk about why they find celebrating the national holiday difficult.
The peaceful protest was organized by SmartChange.ca and emceed by Mathew Kagis. The opening address, which lamented what had become of the Indigenous people’s land and home, set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, with special attention to whose Canada was being celebrated.
The first discussion centered on trade unions and the history of worker’s rights. “If [unions] have the life blood cut out from them . . . we will start to live in a very different society,” said Garth Mullins, a long-time social justice advocate and shop steward at Canadian Association of Professional Employees Local 301. “Although a lot of us aren’t in trade unions, or unions of any kind, the trend cannot go further in the other direction. Let’s not race to the bottom.”
Following Mullins was Joey Hartman on behalf of the Vancouver and District Labour Council. Of contemporary labour issues, Hartman said, “We need to find new ways of organizing together, because when we are together we are strong, and the labour movement is our responsibility.”
The podium was graced next by Sofia Lin, 16-year old Vice President for Fair Vote Vancouver, National Liaison to Fair Vote Canada, and co-director for the BC Electoral Project. She outlined what she believes are the problems with our current voting system. “Our parliament is more notably known as ‘male, pale, and stale’ than our society. The lack of diversity, whether age, ethnic interest, gender, or social or cultural affiliations makes our government myopic and unable to think in our best interests.”
The speeches were followed by a poem reading by Slam poet R.C. Weslowski, titled “Why Stephen Harper Hates Funding FFF for the Arts aka FFF Flatulence.” His verses echoed around the city square: “I love sucking on Stephen Harper’s kronk, it tastes like America. Is that a pipeline in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
Weslowski was succeeded by another poet: Stephen Collis, an English literature professor at SFU, who said, “I for one find the nation a problematic idea or category at the best of times.
“The Harper government and its new policies are the leading edge of the new normal,” Collis continued. “We can expect democratic freedoms to continue to be in retreat . . . more austerity, more cuts, more privilege for the elite, and a continuing open season on this country’s natural resources and the Indigenous peoples traditions.”
His poem, titled “13 Ways to Stop Harper,” included lines like: “When the robots call you, know that this is the synthetic voice of creeping totalitarianism, just give the tin can a yank and snap the string.”
The afternoon can best be summarized in Collis’ own words: “Resistance is a matter of daily life; change is something that comes with every step, every breath, and every word. We are the real government and we can govern ourselves just fine.”
