Problematizing Canadian exceptionalism

Abstract

The myth that Canada has resisted the “West’s populist wave” persists despite evidence that demonstrates otherwise. This article traces how the assumption that Canada has avoided the rise of right-wing populism and white nationalism is tethered to the fiction that Canada has been a raceless society. After briefly reviewing the myth of racelessness and the history of right-populism in Canada, the article explores how the Reform Party of Canada conceptualized “the people” in racialized terms. This article examines how the Conservative Party of Canada’s appeals to symbolic “diversity” and denial of systemic oppression have enabled more overt forms of racism. By examining the recent rise of hate crimes, this article makes the case that a direct link can be traced between the Conservative government’s seemingly neutral discourses about the preservation of Canadian “heritage” and “common values” and the re-emergence of right-wing populism and the re-emboldening of white nationalism in Canada. El mito de que Canadá ha resistido la “ola populista de Occidente” perdura a pesar de que se puede demostrar lo contrario. Este artículo expone que la aceptación generalizada de que Canadá ha evitado el auge del populismo de derechas y del nacionalismo blanco está unida a la ficción de que Canadá ha sido una sociedad sin razas. Tras repasar brevemente el mito de la ausencia de razas y la historia del populismo de derechas en Canadá, el artículo explora cómo el Partido Reformista de Canadá conceptualizó “el pueblo” en términos racializados, y examina cómo las apelaciones del Partido Conservador de Canadá a la “diversidad” simbólica y su negación de cualquier opresión sistemática han permitido formas más abiertas de racismo. Al analizar el aumento reciente de crímenes de odio, el artículo argumenta que se puede hallar un nexo directo entre el discurso aparentemente neutral del gobierno conservador sobre la defensa del “patrimonio” y los “valores comunes” de Canadá y el resurgimiento del populismo de derechas y el reforzamiento del nacionalismo blanco en Canadá.

Populist Backlash and Trade Agreements in North America: The Prospects for Progressive Trade

“…Trump sought to adjust the trade regime through pressure on partners using America's economic might to secure changes, sold to some social segments with nativist messaging. Canadian populists adopted many of Trump's rhetorical and policy elements (on China's rise, migration and climate, for instance) but, as a more modest economic player, did not emulate his protectionism; but Canada's parliamentary electoral system required moderated or disguised nativism for conservatives seeking to win in urbanised areas (Budd, 2021;Kwak, 2020). Rodrik (2021) notes that gradual cultural change is less likely to explain a recent marked increase in support for populists (including left, but mostly right).…”

“…The slide in middle-and working-class fortunes and the weakening of the compromise of embedded liberalism around Keynesianism and the welfare state gave fuel to populism, nationalism, and protectionism and prompted questioning of the global liberal order. While the causes of working and middle-class decline are complex, populists like Trump highlighted trade deals like NAFTA and the rise of China to target identifiable "others''; this nativist rhetoric was muted or disguised in most Canadian populist circles (Budd, 2021;Kwak, 2020). Bisbee et al (2020) investigate how "disenchantment" with the embedded liberal bargain reduced support for free trade and globalisation sentiments, especially among individuals and localities at "occupational risk" from displacement of employment.…”

“…They have adjusted positions on immigration and some social and cultural issues. One analyst credits the Harper government with the "mainstreaming of right-populist discourse in Canada" (Kwak, 2020(Kwak, , p. 1180, including engagement with cultural nativism. Budd (2021, p. 170) likewise notes that "the dog whistle politics of the Harper Conservatives, while not overtly xenophobic, racist, or nativist, have helped to provide the ideological and discursive space for subsequent radical right actors in Canada."…”

“A prison is no place for a pandemic”: Canadian prisoners’ collective action in the time of COVID-19

“…While some politicians, such as Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault, downplayed the extent to which racism and discrimination could be found in Canada, this “Canadian exceptionalism,” (Gismondi, 2017; Kwak, 2020) was soon forced to confront Canada's colonial past. In May 2021, The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the discovery of 215 suspected gravesites at a former residential school in British Columbia.…”