No, Dr. Pam Palmater, “the so-called cancel culture is not the dog whistle term used by angry white men who benefit from the status quo.…”. Cancel culture is censorship that targets anyone, including men and women “of (so-called) colour”… It is also sadly targeting Canada now

In her latest article published in Canadian Dimension (https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/cancelling-canada-day-is-a-move-towards-truth-justice-and-reconciliation), Dr. Pam Palmater wrote something like: “so-called cancel culture is the dog whistle term used by angry white men who benefit from the status quo.…”.

However, many Canadians as well as Americans, British French, or Lebanese, being censored (or cancelled), are women as well as men “of colour” (in other terms not “white” to use her own language). Bambi will not name anyone, but two of the recent ones in our country are Dr. Faisal Bhabha and Bambi (https://bambisafkar.ca/index.php/2021/06/23/canadian-justice-the-news-forum-free-speech-challenged-on-university-campuses/).

Sometimes, cancel forces try to censor citizens or events across countries even (e.g., as observed once in Lebanon from out of Turkey:

Lebanese TV host to stand trial over remarks critical of Turkish President Erdoğan

and even with Lebanese citizens/unprofessional singers working in the UAE from out Lebanon):

Cancel culture–Lebanese style: Did you know that intimidation can spread from one country to the other?

This being said, you argued that “the calls to cancel Canada Day celebrations this year have nothing to do with so-called “cancel culture”… On the contrary, #CancelCanadaDay is what real reconciliation looks like”.

It is a point of view, but Bambi cannot help not to wonder how cancelling Canada Day would bring people together for reconciliation, love, and unity… to move forward together?

Plus, Bambi comes from a country (Lebanon) already destroyed… She does not want her country (Canada!) to self-destroy.

Is moving forward together in a constructive way your aspiration? If so, the cancellation will sadly only serve to bring people further apart. It is a logical consequence, if this trend will not stop one day.

This was wisely argued by the “Chief of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (TteS)” (https://cfjctoday.com/2021/06/17/tkemlups-chief-discourages-cancellation-of-canada-day-urges-canadians-to-use-it-as-a-learning-opportunity/), even if this was not cited in other media articles.

You ended your article with the following conclusion, “cancelling Canada Day has the potential to shine a much-needed spotlight on our collective truth and surround us all with the warmth that comes from community support, as we move towards justice and reparations for Indigenous peoples.”

With all due respect for your passionate advocacy, Bambi has trouble understanding how cancelling Canada Day will serve to “surround anyone in need” of human “support” (national and even international) “with the warmth that comes from community support”.

Usually in life, people and nations come together in times of grief. Why the call for further divisions then? And then what? What is next?

If this July 1st is a time of reflection, as our Prime Minister (Mr. Trudeau) said, why not reflect together? Why not pray together? Why not embrace one another’s grief… to truly “move towards justice and reparations for Indigenous peoples.”

Mind you, last year, the call to cancel Canada Day was in the context of the BLM demonstrations movement in the USA and around the world (https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/yes-canada-has-a-racism-crisis-and-its-killing-black-and-indigenous-peoples).  In 2017, it was about Indigenous issues (https://nowtoronto.com/news/canada-s-150th-a-celebration-of-indigenous-genocide). Today, it is about the tragic yet not surprising discoveries of the remains of hundreds of children in two residential schools (sadly, more will be discovered in the weeks/months to come with more searches ☹).

Next year, it will be about what?

Usually, when we discover remains, inasmuch as this is SAD, the journey of grief can finally start for survivors and families, thankfully. Of course, what makes these discoveries particularly devastating is the context of the horrible cultural genocide that still has long-term concrete consequences. Yes, many individuals, families, and communities will need extra love, support, and counselling. However, the discoveries of graves or remains are surely a step further in the healing process, despite the DEEP sorrow :(.

So, why not allow us all to come together to mourn and to envision a more beautiful and fairer Canada? Why are we allowing ourselves to be divided further?

To continue on the same topic Dear Dr. Palmater, when you tweeted the following by a historian in Manitoba, Bambi was very sad and disturbed. She will explain why further below.

She of course understands his sorrow for having witnessed massacres during civil war (i.e. friends seeing their parents and siblings shot in front of their eyes… and her volunteering in her teen years to support older survivors of a couple of massacres who became internal refugees in her Beirut neighborhood).

However, the danger of such a message, underlying this image, is to dichotomize society and to foster more guilt in people’s hearts. No, sorry Dr. Carleton, loving/celebrating Canada is NOT a choice of celebrating genocide. It is celebrating love and life rather. It is also simply celebrating a summer day off or maybe the start of vacation with family or friends.

So, what is the purpose of this guilt? Can we turn it into something more constructive? And what about people of Indigenous heritage who may perhaps wish to feel Canadian on Canada Day, today or in the future. Is this allowed in our increasingly authoritarian times?

As for Dr. Palmater, you do not know it, but Bambi is a listener! She listens to you online on a regular basis. She particularly enjoyed one of your shows in which you hosted our Chiefs from NB. She learned about their talents and sense of humour. You were also fun too and what an excellent host. Bambi has the highest respect for your advocacy for your fellow citizens.

This being said, she disagrees with your almost annual calls to cancel Canada Day. For her, and with all due respect, there seems to be a contradiction here between your calls and the source of funding of your research work (in addition to your distinguished affiliation at other institutions, which are funded by the Government of Canada). Indeed, one can argue that if Canada is pushed to the point of not being loved/celebrated anymore, eventually there would be no more Canada left to support your talent. Why deprive us/your trainees from the latter (https://www.ryerson.ca/politics/people/faculty/palmater-pamela/ ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massey_College,_Toronto; https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/results-resultats/recipients-recipiendaires/2020/partnership_grants_2020-subventions_partenerial_2020-eng.aspx)?

To conclude this post, have you ever considered resigning from positions/affiliations funded by Canada (i.e., its taxpayers), to score a strong political, and perhaps congruent, point? Alternatively, have you considered running in federal politics, a bit like the Bloc Québécois, to advance your views? Bambi is curious…

Thank you.