Lest We Forget...

In 1917 Canadian soldiers fought a battle in Vimy Ridge, on the coast of France, a moment that was to forever mark the nation’s formation. Ninety years later, on this Easter Monday, veterans and diplomats gather to restore a monument to remember the sacrifices of these brave men and women who fought so selflessly to ensure that we, years later, can enjoy the democracy, justice and human rights that our nation has come to exemplify. Along side the stiff salutes, the decorated soldiers, the wreaths, the uniforms and speeches of glory, self-congratulatory expression and mourning, come a reminder that our great cause of fighting the evils abroad has not yet come to an end, as 6 soldiers have just perished in Afghanistan in recent days. These 6 soldiers, all male and all white, in their early 20s are constructed to represent the courageous and honorable fabric that constitutes our nation, as well as a testimony to our willingness to sacrifice our own sons to the service of the values that uphold this proud land.



As the CBC’s syndication of these momentous events in France comes to a conclusion, we are taken to Halifax where foreign affairs minister Peter McKay speaks of commemorating the sacrifice of others, including those who were recently killed in Afghanistan who come “to do good” when “those in need call.” The ghostly white faces of those crippled in service and wrinkled with the hands of time peer out behind him, their red poppies bleeding on their blazers and military jackets. What a great fucking national gesture to celebrate those who truly exemplify the ideals of our free nation. Unfortunately, however, upon further investigation, it appears that there are a few things that have eluded our national memories on this early April remembrance day party…



What exactly do such events of national/international remembering do for a country like Canada, besides the novelty of being able to rock poppies in the spring? When we acknowledge the First World War battle of Vimy Ridge as the moment in which Canada became a nation in its own right, what are we truly saying? First of all, such a notion challenges the ability with which we can declare ourselves as a peaceful nation. How is it not hypocritical that a nation that prides itself with its commitment to peace, can only come into being with the exercise of state-sponsored violence? Moreover, the fact that Canada understands itself as a “peacekeeping nation” that as McKay claims, heroically comes to the need of those imperiled countries abroad becomes highly problematic once we look into what Canada’s military truly does around the world. Let’s just take Somalia as an example; in the early 1990s, Canadian peacekeepers landed in Somalia under a UN mandate to provide peace and security outside the nation’s capital. During their short stay they engaged in a number of racist violent acts. Commonly referred to as “Operation Snatch Niggers,” the soldiers from various ranks condoned the use of violence and torture on a regular basis. Poor, unarmed civilians who veered too close to the perimeter of the base were shot at in close range. Moreover, the soldiers would plant bait in the form of food and water near the base in order to trap civilians, one of whom was Arone Shidane, a 16 year old Somali teen that was tortured and beaten to death by Canadian troops [see Sherene Razack’s book “Dark Threats and White Knights” to read more about this]. This is not a one off incident, as similar human rights abuses against civilians by Canadian Soldiers were found in Bosnia, Kuwait, and Haiti, just to name a few.


[http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/UN/peace.html]

The glorified ceremonious gestures of remembrance seek to forget such violence and instead construct Canada, and Canadians as a nation of benevolent, kind hearted, peace-loving people that selflessly give their lives for causes of goodness. Moreover, it hides the immense injustices at home that perpetually pervade our everyday experiences. The reason why acts of violence can be so constantly exercised by Canadian soldiers upon the bodies of Third World peoples abroad is because of the ideology of racism and white supremacy that flourish at home. One manifestation of this ideology can be seen in the very celebration of Vimy Ridge itself, as the battle that gave birth to the nation of Canada. This selective remembering seeks to erase the violent reality that actually fostered the nation-building process. The fact that Canada was founded upon the genocidal murder, rape, mutilation and capture of thousands of original inhabitants, only to be followed by their mandatory segregation and internment through the residential school system, reservation projects and criminal incarceration, is something that is conveniently extracted from the national narrative. In the forgetting of this history, Canada becomes imagined as a nation of white inhabitants who magnanimously not only let in Third World immigrants to baby-sit their children, drive their taxis and scrub their toilets, but also fly to far away lands to fight their battles for them.



The restoration of the monument in Vimy Ridge, therefore, does more than remember the fallen soldiers of the past. As said by Stephen Harper himself, every nation has a creation story to tell and the battle of Vimy Ridge is central to how we know ourselves as Canadians. It is unfortunately also how we also forget ourselves as Canadians, and consequently reinforce the very ideals that we claim to stand against. As we continue to wage wars in faraway lands, I think it is important that we deconstruct the meanings behind each national gesture lest we forget the suffering and violence that truly keep Canada the “free and democratic” nation it is today.