Making History In Canada

As I am apt to do each and every Tuesday evening, I watch the CBC. In particular, I enjoy the comedic punditry of Rick Mercer. In last night’s episode Mercer had a compelling rant that sent me in a mad-dash of passion and frustration to my computer. As I sat there poised, preparing to applaud Mercer’s poignant wit and deplore Canada’s current political farce, I slowed my breath to come to terms with the fact that my blog is neither an outlet for my personal ravings – none of which I’m sure anyone really needs to read – nor a forum for current events outside of history. So, I cursed my historical occupation and then began to pick my brain in order to find some way to link what I had learned with some form of public history. Here goes.

But first, a little background. Each week Mercer reserves a portion of his half-hour time slot for a rant. These quick and biting monologues are most frequently aimed at the Federal Government of Canada and its routinely embarrassing acts; this week was no exception. Recently, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Science for their work in climate change. Apart of the IPCC were Canadian scientists who were thusly awarded this prestigious prize for their work on this study and their commitment to raising awareness of the global predicament. And how did the current Canadian government respond to the recipients of this worldly award? Well, Mercer has a wonderful, exploratory rant here.
In short, a reception for these recipients was held on parliament hill last week, but neither Stephen Harper, nor his cabinet, specifically Environment Minister, John Baird, were present to honour this achievement. The Conservatives snubbed the commemoration.

Most are familiar with the regressive environmental policies of the current Conservative government, but this is not a rant about Harper and Baird and their war on environmental science which has seen the Cabinet's science adviser relieved of his position and Environment Canada's scientists' lips sealed. This is about the history we make today and the history we celebrate.

In a recent post, a peer of mine, Helen Button, discussed the sometimes controversial art of historical commemoration. As Helen discusses, there are many lesser known figures and peoples who often go unnoticed but are nonetheless deserving of commemoration. In Canada, we often struggle with, and tip-toe around, historical idolatry for fear of alienating a specific group in an ever-growing multicultural country. Our holidays often walk the line of political correctness with days such as 'Civic Holiday' and it's new counterpart 'Family Day'. But it's not all like this. Kudos to Manitoba and the realization of its first 'Louis Riel Day'. Of course, there's Québec which has long recognized such days as 'Saint-Jean-Baptiste' and 'Dollard des Ormeaux'. Commemoration can often be controversial and Riel and Ormeaux are not without their critics and differing interpretations, but the commemoration in itself creates awareness of the impact and influence these individuals and groups have had on our history and concomitantly heritage. Yet, we still strain to create national and provincial holidays that recognize our past. And so we "observed" our first 'Family Day' in Ontario this past Monday.

Maybe part of the problem is our national government's inability to embrace our best and brightest. Governments of the past, Liberal and Conservative, have notoriously shrunk before opportunities of national recognition and unity, never committing without realizing the populist feelings of the day or presently, ignoring a commemoration of our finest minds for a static environmental platform. How are we expected to honour the achievements of the past when our current government will not honour the achievements of today? Even George W. Bush embraced Al Gore's decoration.

Whether you are a Tory or a Liberal, climate change is a reality and the Nobel Committee has recognized these Canadians' work on this study. Dealing with the reality of the environmental impact we have on Earth should not be a part of a political ideology; it should be something any government works progressively for to ensure a bright future for generations to come - this isn't Liberal environmentalism, this is foresight. And sure, the Conservative reply is that too harsh of sanctions on such things as industry and consumerism would sharply alter our way of life. But, the changes we must confront now will pale in comparison to those our children will have to face if we don't attempt to make history in a positive direction now.

Commemoration has its critics and some would argue that it does little in educating the public on history, but I argue that it is in the act of commemoration that we grow our historical awareness. Little is learned from a plaque or a statue in the park, but the presence of these historical landmarks cultivates a sense of history and heritage in communities that may lead to historical inquiry, if only amongst the few. Furthermore, these commemorations help to foster a sense of Canadian history that is so important to maintaining a strong and unified country. The Conservative response to climate change is not only damaging to Canada's reputation globally, but it cuts at the social fabric that ties Canada together through acts of commemorating our brightest. Commemorations of the past and of today do not have to place a figure or group on a pedestal, but should act as a forum for understanding. Snubbing the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize not only fails to honour that which a global committee honours, but it also hides from the discussion generated by these people and their commemoration. In my opinion, this is just plain bad for history.