In the News May 18

Royal Jubilee Tours’ Stop in Canada Not Welcome

Reports of a Sanitized “Royal Tour”

Charles and Camilla arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland on May 17 with an official welcome by the Prime Minister and Governor General and inspection of a guard of honour, a prayer in Inuktitut, Innu drumming and Mi’kmaq music, and visit to the place called “Government House.” It is called “Government House” even though it is the residence of the Lt. Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador who represents the British Crown – a constant reminder that Canada’s institutions pay obeyance to a foreign monarch. There a ceremony in memory of Indigenous victims and survivors of residential schools was held. Then a meeting with Campaign for Wool Canada and a visit to Quidi Vidi, a former fishing village, artisans and a brewery. They then left for Ottawa.

Bronze statue of Shanawdithit, believed to be the last of the Beothuk, stands at Boyd’s Cove on Newfoundland’s northeast coast.

National leader of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada, Anna Di Carlo, told TML Daily: “The entire thing is offensive, orchestrated to make sure nobody can present these vestiges of Canada’s colonial past with the demand for reparations for the crimes their relatives and ancestors committed against the Indigenous peoples. The wealth they live off today was accumulated from their dispossession and genocide. The Beothuk to whom they are paying homage were totally wiped out while others were massacred, dispossessed, infected with smallpox, corralled onto reserves, sent to residential schools – all accompanied by the declaration that the Queen is their mother who will protect them.”

The Canadian Press report reads:

“The event began with a land acknowledgment honouring the province’s five Indigenous groups as well as the Beothuk people, who were among the first inhabitants of Newfoundland, their history stretching back 9,000 years.” (Talk about deliberate obfuscation. Where are the Beothuk one might well ask?) The report continues:

“[Governor General of Canada Mary] Simon welcomed Charles and Camilla to Canada in Inuktitut. She asked Charles and Camilla to listen to the Indigenous groups they will meet in Canada and to learn their stories.

“I encourage you to learn the truth of our history — the good and the bad,” she said. “In this way, we will promote healing, understanding and respect. And in this way, we will also promote reconciliation.’

“The prince started his speech by noting that the land that became Canada has been cared for by Indigenous people — First Nations, Metis and Inuit — for thousands of years.

“We must find new ways to come to terms with the darker and more difficult aspects of the past, acknowledging, reconciling and striving to do better,’ he said. ‘It is a process that starts with listening.’

“The prince said he had spoken with the Governor General about the ‘vital process’ of reconciliation.

“‘[It’s] not a one-off act, of course, but an ongoing commitment to healing, respect and understanding,’ he said. ‘I know that our visit this week comes at an important moment with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples across Canada, committing to reflect honestly and openly on the past.'”

This is the same kind of royal-speak the “working royals” delivered in the Caribbean regarding the crimes of slavery to deny that they live off its proceeds and owe reparations. Scripted humility cannot cover up a supercilious demeanor. The “Prince” says it is not a “one-off act” – a pompous statement if ever there was one. Patronizing and haughty, he says his visit? – it is not clear – is a “committing to reflect honestly and openly on the past.” He and his handlers clearly think he can remain aloof, developing projects in walled gardens, frequented by sycophants, incapable of dealing with the present realities. He and his progeny cannot escape the call of history, no matter how much those responsible for the royal institutions try to make sure the question of redress and the need to break with the monarchy do not come up.

Canadian Press reports:

“Earlier in the day, Trudeau said reconciliation will form part of the discussions Charles and Camilla engage in during their visit. But the prime minister avoided answering when asked if he thinks the Queen should apologize for the legacy of residential schools.”

He reiterated his mantra about “everyone doing their part.” The outlook is to perpetuate the fraud that it is not the structures imposed by a colonial constitution which must be changed. Everything they touch is imbued with a racist outlook and they not only maintain indigenous peoples in a humiliated position but also make sure the majority of the population have no say over the decision-making powers, including elected members of parliaments and legislatures.

“Reconciliation has been a fundamental priority for this government ever since we got elected, and there are many, many things that we all have to work on together,” he said. “But we know it’s not just about government and Indigenous people. It’s about everyone doing their part, and that’s certainly a reflection that everyone’s going to be having.”

We don’t think so. Most Canadians see things quite differently which is why, despite the wastage of money to show deference, little pomp accompanies the ceremonies.

Meanwhile, “Metis National Council President Cassidy Caron has said she intends to make a request for an apology to the prince and duchess during a reception Wednesday [May 18] at Rideau Hall in Ottawa,” CP reports adding:

Caron has said residential school survivors have told her an apology from the Queen is important as she is Canada’s head of state and the leader of the Anglican Church. “The Royals have a moral responsibility to participate and contribute and advance reconciliation,” Caron said in Ottawa on May 16.

Renewal Update, posted May 18, 2022.