Is ‘cancel culture’ really worth it?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

During the last few years, ‘cancel culture’ has entered our lexicon, where historic figures are no longer supported, having been deemed objectionable or offensive by present-day standards. In Canada, this trend is mostly linked to the ‘truth and reconciliation’ among Indigenous people, with governments at all levels echoing their cause. Most media companies are in lockstep, too; giving full coverage to so many Indigenous articles, sometimes on a very repetitive basis.

Here in British Columbia, the statue of Canada’s first prime minister was removed from his podium outside of Victoria City Hall in 2018, following the mayor’s clandestine moves and controversial statements that Sir John A. Macdonald’s mere likeness intimidated Indigenous people. A Victoria street named after British Columbia’s first Lieutenant-General Joseph Trutch was changed to Su’it Street, which is ‘Truth Street’ in the Lekwugen language.

There are many more examples across the country. Last year, Victoria’s mayor cancelled Canada Day celebrations following the ground-penetrating radar detection of probable unmarked graves near former Indian residential schools. The mayor suggested that a day of quiet reflection would be more appropriate than traditional flag-waving and parades. Some activists misunderstood “quiet reflection”, beating drums and chanting while they toppled the statue of navigator Captain James Cook; police stood by and watched as the iconic statue was beheaded and thrown into Victoria Harbour, with no action ever taken against those responsible.

These incidents sprang to mind when reading that the Ahousaht First Nation recently reopened Maquinna Marine Provincial Park near Tofino to the public, following upgrading by B.C. Parks that includes a new million-dollar cedar boardwalk trail. Chief Maquinna was dominant in the fur trade from Nootka Sound in the late 18th century, and had links to Spanish and English explorers, including Captain George Vancouver. The aforementioned Captain James Cook also spent a month in Nootka Sound in 1778 on his third voyage of discovery, but there’s a much darker side of Chief Maquinna. He was also a murderous slaveowner who led the slaughter and beheading of 25 crew members of the American trading vessel Boston in 1803, following a fur trading-payment dispute. Two of the crew survived by playing dead, and were kept as slaves until escaping on another vessel three years later.

One surviving British-born sailor, John R. Jewitt, wrote a bestseller at the time: Journal Kept At Nootka Sound. Bearing these gruesome facts in mind, the question arises if such Indigenous historical characters with proven criminal records should be honoured by naming the Marine Park near Tofino, or schools in Port Alberni and Vancouver. For so many other historical figures, their goose is cooked by cancel culture, should the sauce be for the gander?

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC, Canada