Courage Joins the Call to Cancel Canada Day
Courage Coalition supports and joins the call to cancel Canada Day, in solidarity with Idle No More and Indigenous activists. As the colonial state of Canada prepares to set off fireworks, Canada Day is for many a painful reminder of the past and ongoing colonization and genocide of Indigenous peoples. This year is particularly marked by resistance and pain, following the horrific discovery of 215 children in a mass grave at a Kamloops Residential “School” and 751 at Marieval Indian Residential “School” .
Canada Day is a celebration of settler colonialism and dispossession for economic gain. It is a celebration of stolen Indigenous land. It is a celebration of genocide.
We must recognize Canada’s role as a perpetrator and participant in the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples. Canada has a long history anti-Indigenous racism and has used its police as a tool of colonial oppression to violently subjugate protestors struggling for their right to live safely on their land. We support Indigenous voices demanding we cancel Canada Day and fighting for self-determination, sovereignty, and environmental justice.
Statutory holidays are too few and essential for workers to rest–but we cannot condone expensive celebrations of colonial violence. Instead of investing millions of dollars into flashy celebrations, Canada needs to act on all 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
We encourage you to visit Idle No More’s website and @CancelCanadaDay on Instagram for a list of #CancelCanadaDay events near you.
Learn about the Truth and Reconciliation’s 94 calls to action.
