In a sea of red, Canadians were “Standing up for Canada” and its soldiers at a rally on Parliament Hill last week. Almost 10,000 people sported red and white duds to show support for Canada’s troops in Afghanistan, as part of a new Wear Red Fridays campaign.
Despite the well-deserved outpouring of support for our soldiers, at times it seemed all that was missing from the festivities were some stars and stripes and an elderly man belting out Yankee Doodle Dandy.
In fact, this populist gathering begs questions about a much deeper national dilemma.
Does this outpouring of nationalistic fervour indicate an increasing Americanization of our social and political values?
Pierre Trudeau warned of the dangers of being a mouse in bed with the elephant. As Canada becomes increasingly involved in Afghanistan under the auspices of “The War on Terror,” democracy and the imposition of western hegemony in the Middle East, we are slowly witnessing the erosion of some of our most cherished values.
In a post-9/11 world, where frequent psychic explosions of public opinion have become the norm, gone are our tempered notions of peacekeeping; our Pearsonian vision of Canada, instead replaced by much more boisterous and cosmetic displays of “flag waving” patriotism apparent south of the 49th parallel.
But what about those Canadians who no doubt support the troops, but choose not to wear their heart on their sleeve? Such a cosmetic and devout display of pride runs the sheer risk of categorizing people as unpatriotic and unsupportive. Are people any less “Canadian” if they choose to exercise their respect for our soldiers in a less jingoistic way? Or is this another example of Canada moving further to the Right, embracing the American notion of you’re either with us or against us.
It was not that long ago that the Canadian government was applauded for its refusal to invade Iraq. This was a clear declaration of solemn Canadian values, much in line with its raison d’être as a peacekeeping nation, that should resonate within Canada’s collective memory.
With the current Canadian death toll in Afghanistan standing at 37 and counting, there is no doubt that the public is becoming increasingly polarized and bewildered by the continued loss of life.
According to a September 2006 newsletter from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Canadian soldier in Kandahar is nearly six times more likely to die in hostilities than a U.S. soldier in Iraq. Clearly, there is a price to be paid by aligning oneself too closely with the U. S.
While the Wear Red Fridays is a well intended, non-partisan and non-political show of support for our troops, Canada’s neo-con prime minister, Stephen Harper, has quickly co-opted the campaign to spin it as a vociferous display of support for misguided government policy in Afghanistan.
Thus, while the soldiers may appreciate and merit the colour-coded support at home, Canadians should pay more attention to how Canada’s New Government, read “American lap dog,” has shifted to the ideological Right by sending more armed forces down the river into harm’s way, deeper into the treacherous Afghan heart of darkness. Are Canadians falling head over feet for Harper’s classic Orwellian doublespeak? If so, to paraphrase Harper, may God help Canada.
–Brent T. Jolly