These days, downtown seems just a little naked without the cluster of tents and people occupying Confederation Park.
And while Occupy Ottawa is now occupy-less, protesters are insisting that their eviction from the park a few weeks ago doesn’t signify the end of the movement. But is anyone listening?
On its website, Occupy Ottawa touts that the “citizens, voters, workers, parents, professionals, students, activists and unemployed workers” who make up the core of their movement are the “99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.”
But let’s face it. When Occupy Ottawa started pitching its first tents in Confederation Park nearly a month after the first wave of occupiers had swept through the United States, people here were curious, and perhaps a little skeptical, as to what purpose camping would serve in combatting corporate greed.
But instead of trying to understand the movement’s motives or reasons for protesting, the public stood at arm’s length from the occupiers, critical of their actions and doubtful that they would accomplish anything at all.As a matter of fact, most expected the occupiers to vacate once the cold started to settle in for the long haul.
And although the NCC had initially agreed to let occupiers stay in the park, vouching for their right to free speech and protest in a democratic society, even NCC chief executive Marie Lemay told the Ottawa Citizen in early November that the NCC hadn’t expected the movement to be there “long-term.”
And we all know what happened next. So was everyone just undermining the legitimacy of the Occupy movement from the start? Did we honestly expect the occupiers to pack up and go home once they got bored? Well, to a certain extent – yes.
It would be unrealistic to think that a group of people camping outside could, in theory, give the entire democratic system a complete facelift. But the problem here is that no one is listening to anyone.
Instead of trying to understand their point of view, Canadians have dismissed out of hand the movement’s claims that Canada needs to be revitalized. After all, our banking system didn’t go down the toilet once the recession hit. But that doesn’t mean our country doesn’t have its fair share of problems.
And sure, we’ve all got our complaints. Our taxes are too high. Our pay is too low. People grumble about anything and everything. But when someone actually stands up against this, we dismiss their claims as well? Are we honestly that cynical that trying to evoke change is seen as a failure in itself?
Needless to say, Canada’s Occupy movement is dwindling in the eye of the public whether or not the occupiers choose to believe it. Occupy Ottawa might insist its eviction from Confederation Park isn’t the final nail in the coffin, but it also states on its website that without the public’s “goodwill and support, the movement cannot succeed.”
The public might’ve foreseen the occupiers’ demise, but two wrongs don’t make a right.