Canada at 150
Historic documents re-visited 150 years after Confederation
2017 marked 150 years of Canada’s Confederation. This occasion led me to re-visit several historic documents and to create three images reflecting on Canada’s complicated and sad history. These images were exhibited at galleries in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, two of the four provinces that founded the Confederation of Canada in 1867.
1867: Death of Nova Scotia
Death of Nova Scotia depicts an editorial published in a Halifax newspaper on July 1, 1867. The editorial has been reproduced with a photo of the historic Bluenose Schooner. Many Nova Scotians were deeply opposed to Confederation. One of the strongest anti-Confederation voices was Joseph Howe, journalist and crusader. But he was far from alone. Two months after Confederation, opponents to Confederation won 36 of 38 seats in a provincial election in Nova Scotia. Soon after that, Joseph Howe won a seat in the federal election as leader of the anti-Confederation Party along with 18 other elected MPs from Nova Scotia. Their efforts to repeal Nova Scotia’s place in Confederation were unsuccessful.
Death of Nova Scotia depicts an editorial published in a Halifax newspaper on July 1, 1867. The editorial has been reproduced with a photo of the historic Bluenose Schooner. Many Nova Scotians were deeply opposed to Confederation. One of the strongest anti-Confederation voices was Joseph Howe, journalist and crusader. But he was far from alone. Two months after Confederation, opponents to Confederation won 36 of 38 seats in a provincial election in Nova Scotia. Soon after that, Joseph Howe won a seat in the federal election as leader of the anti-Confederation Party along with 18 other elected MPs from Nova Scotia. Their efforts to repeal Nova Scotia’s place in Confederation were unsuccessful.
1967: Lament for Confederation
Lament for Confederation is the text of a speech read by Chief Dan George on July 1, 1967, reproduced with a photo of Chief Dan George shortly before his death in 1981. Chief Dan George was a poet, author, and actor. The soliloquy was a scathing indictment of Canada’s treatment of First Nations Peoples and the Land. It is credited with escalating Native political activism in Canada and fostering a better understanding and empathy for the movement.
Lament for Confederation is the text of a speech read by Chief Dan George on July 1, 1967, reproduced with a photo of Chief Dan George shortly before his death in 1981. Chief Dan George was a poet, author, and actor. The soliloquy was a scathing indictment of Canada’s treatment of First Nations Peoples and the Land. It is credited with escalating Native political activism in Canada and fostering a better understanding and empathy for the movement.
2017: O Canada
O Canada is a reproduction of the Proclamation of a Treaty of Peace and Friendship which was signed in Halifax in 1752. The photograph of a young Mi'kmaq man was taken at the Halifax Commons at a celebration of National Aboriginal Day in 2017. When Confederation was negotiated in 1867, the newly formed country of Canada was legally obliged to fully honour its treaty responsibilities. The 1752 Treaty had been signed by representatives of the Crown and the Mi'kmaq People on behalf of “...their heirs and the heirs of their heirs forever...". National Aboriginal Day reminds Canada of its 150-year-old failure to honour the treaty.
O Canada is a reproduction of the Proclamation of a Treaty of Peace and Friendship which was signed in Halifax in 1752. The photograph of a young Mi'kmaq man was taken at the Halifax Commons at a celebration of National Aboriginal Day in 2017. When Confederation was negotiated in 1867, the newly formed country of Canada was legally obliged to fully honour its treaty responsibilities. The 1752 Treaty had been signed by representatives of the Crown and the Mi'kmaq People on behalf of “...their heirs and the heirs of their heirs forever...". National Aboriginal Day reminds Canada of its 150-year-old failure to honour the treaty.