The Vancouver Winter Olympics are upon us and all of Canada is abuzz with excitement.
Will Canada break free from being known as the only Olympic host nation in history not to win gold on home soil? Will Canada’s Own the Podium program produce the results we hope for?
But more pressing political concerns abound regarding the 21st Winter Olympics—concern for Canada’s Aboriginal community and the general protest against Canada hosting the Olympics at all. The most noteworthy of these groups is called “No 2010 Olympics on Stolen Native Land” and they have mobilized proxy arms across Canada.
The gist of their opposition is simple: Canada shouldn’t host the Olympics on stolen Aboriginal land.
It’s a tricky issue—one that cuts to the heart of our country’s identity, inspiring passionate and heated debate across Canada.
Those in the anti-Olympic camp feel the use of the Inukshuk, a traditional Aboriginal sculpture, as the Vancouver 2010 logo is tokenizing and insulting to Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. Meanwhile, the pro-Olympic camp argues that this figure is used to pay tribute to Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. This disagreement over the Inukshuk’s usage represents only a microcosm of a more intricate debate.
Anti-Olympic protestors know they can’t stop the Games from happening.
The militant and aggressive tactics used by a small minority within the anti-Olympic camp have been unacceptable.
For example, by physically disrupting the torch relay, these protestors have harmed their own cause by trying to advance it through juvenile tactics at the expense of a symbolic ceremony that’s a source of great pride for most Canadians.
Making Canada appear foolish and disorganized to the rest of the world won’t help to galvanize support amongst the Canadian populace for Aboriginal issues and these stunts only prove counterproductive to the cause.
But for the most part, I sympathize with the underlying message that the peaceful protestors are attempting to convey—we must pay attention to the plight of Canada’s Aboriginal community.
It’s not an either/or proposition: to host the Olympics or to care about Canada’s Aboriginal community. What we need is to stop the binary thinking. We can—and we must—reconcile the two. The Olympics are representative of the triumph of the human spirit, while Canada’s Aboriginals are without a doubt the spiritual forbearers of this great country.
There’s no contradiction between supporting our athletes and supporting our Aboriginal peoples. Prominent Aboriginal leaders in Canada—such as former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine—support the Vancouver Olympic Games. Fontaine even participated in the cross-Canada torch relay.
The Vancouver Olympic Committee has made great strides in using the Games to partner with British Columbia’s Aboriginal communities, co-operating on everything from host venues such as a downtown Vancouver Aboriginal Pavilion to the actual design of the Olympic medals, which are emblazoned with Aboriginal artwork.
But there are many within Canada’s Aboriginal community who believe the Games are being used more for exploitation of their culture than embracing it.
The Olympic Resistance Network, one of the primary partners of the “No 2010 Olympics on Stolen Native Land” movement, is actively supporting an international resolution passed by more than 1,500 indigenous delegates at the 2007 Intercontinental Indigenous Peoples Gathering in Sonora, Mexico to boycott the 2010 Olympic Games based on their belief that the Olympics will be held on the sacred and stolen territory of Turtle Island–Vancouver.
This coalition also believes Canada’s spending budget in hosting the Games would be better used to address the horrible living conditions of many Canadian Aboriginals.
The state of the native reserve system in this country has long been considered the hornet’s nest of Canadian politics, not to mention a global embarrassment.
These anti-Olympic protestors bring attention to some sobering facts about our country.
According to the UN’s latest Human Development Index, an annual global survey that measures key indicators such as life expectancy, literacy, GDP per capita and school enrollment, Canada has the fourth best quality of life in the world.
But according to an Indian and Northern Affairs Canada study that applied First Nations-specific statistics to the Human Development Index created by the United Nations, Aboriginal Canadians’ quality of life on the reserves ranks a dismal 63rd in the world—no better than third-world conditions.
Infant mortality is 1.5 times higher than the national average for Aboriginal Canadians living on reserves. According to Statistics Canada, suicide rates are higher, education rates are lower and just about every imaginable statistic about Canada’s reserves paints a similarly grim picture.
Approximately 300,000 Canadian Aboriginals live on reserves in Canada. Is it acceptable to have that many people in our country living in third world conditions? Absolutely not.
This is the point anti-Olympic protestors are attempting to draw attention towards. It’s impossible and irresponsible to turn a blind eye.
We can support our athletes while supporting Canada’s Aboriginals. Canada needs the type of political leadership that’s not afraid to meet this issue head on.
The Olympic Games in Vancouver must be used as a starting point for a renewed commitment to tackling the issues facing Canada’s Aboriginal community. Only then will we be able to say the Inukshuk hasn’t been hijacked.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.
