Some who know me, would tell you that music and film are an important aspect of my life…I make references that I draw from both songs and films that have inspired me. I use moments or phrases from those to draw analogies with events that are happening all around us…which brings me to this moment.
This past week, there were three major events (announcements and actual happenings) that all appear to be related, that have shaken my sensibilities profoundly.
1) The first was the announcement from the Canadian federal government that as part of Canada’s National Building Projects, in response in part to Trump’s threats, real and imagined, they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Alberta provincial government in support of their proposal for a bitumen pipeline running from the tar sands through northern British Columbia to the west coast, one of the most ecologically sensitive coast lines in the country, where a major tanker ban is in existence. As well, elements of Canada’s environmental portfolio are being simultaneously dismantled.
2) The second is what is being referred to as the Pirates of the Caribbean redux, but this time it is the US Navy who are the pirates…the United States, in international waters, boarded, took over an oil tanker and are now looting the oil. This has been preceded by the US military attacking with drones, small vessels, some whom are certainly fishing boats, but they claim are transporting drugs to the US. Trump is ratcheting up the pressure on Venezuela and it’s President Maduro, with the goal of regime change to install a US friendly government, which will allow unfettered access by US oil companies to the vast oil reserves of the country (largest in the world apparently). The implications of this are extremely impactful for Alberta’s tar sands and for any proposed new oil pipeline.
3) The third was the release of America’s new National Security Strategy. As the Toronto Star stated, “This document is one of pure malice for the entirety of the democratic world in general and Canada in particular. The United States has entered the phase of its breakdown where it’s a danger to itself and others.“ So, while the world’s largest military power behaves like a rogue state, Ottawa announces a 300,000-person citizen volunteer army, and as Mary Geddry writes, "the response across Canada has been a tidal wave, First Nations communities, pacifists, retirees, former special forces, cybersecurity experts, vegans with gun licenses, and Americans peering north from collapsing states saying, essentially, If this turns into a continental fight for democracy, we know where we’re standing”.
Sometimes I just stop to wonder and imagine how things could be so much different than they are. This past week marked 45 years since that candle was snuffed out on a pretty remarkable individual. It would be interesting to hear what John Lennon had to say about how things are unfolding around us. He was an individual who had an uncanny sense of being able to cut right to the heart of the situation and phrase his thoughts in memorable lines and songs as he talked about truth, hope, kindness, vulnerability, coming together, love and peace. He was a great optimist and his song Imagine talks bravely and creatively about what might be possible.
Earlier this year, we made a trip into Toronto to the Lightbox Theatre (home to TIFF) to see the film All We Imagine As Light by Indian director Payal Kapadia…this film was on our list back in September 2024 for the Toronto International Film Festival but, we were unable to procure tickets at that time…it won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The film shows the immense sea of humanity in Mumbai and how three people navigated their lives within this environment…their interactions and their trip to the seaside where, as it says, far from the city’s perpetual clamour, the women’s’ feelings and sense of life’s possibilities are given free rein…there were a few surprises but the ending with some amazing music was incredibly uplifting and worth the wait. The final song titled Imagine Light by Indian composer Topshe seemed to capture everyone’s emotions as no one left the theatre even as the credits began and the music continued…a very inspiring piece of music. Having never physically been to Mumbai, it was interesting to listen to the main character’s narration when she said, “Some people call this the city of dreams…I think it’s the city of illusions. There’s an unspoken code in this city: even if you live in the gutter, you’re allowed to feel no anger. People call this ‘The Spirit of Mumbai’. You have to believe the illusion, or else you’ll go mad.” Isn’t that the magic of film though? All your senses transport you to wherever you wish to go. In one scene, another character states, “The future is here and I’m not prepared for it.” We formulate expectations of how things unfold, but these events of the week strike me as being beyond what most of us expected. Finally, a male character who was rescued from almost drowning, said, “In the darkness you try to imagine light.”
So, how do we prepare for the future when some in power seem intent on doing what is so counterproductive to shaping the world more like the vision John Lennon had in his song Imagine? It would seem logical that we do what is necessary to ensure a climate safe future and not do such things that put that in jeopardy. We need to work instead towards bringing a greater peace, kindness, understanding and love for us all and the Earth….we need to Imagine Light.
I just finished watching the exceptional documentary titled ‘Yintah’, which won the 2024 Audience Award at Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. It is the story of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, as they fight to protect their traditional lands from the building of the Coastal GasLink pipeline from Northeast British Columbia through their territory to the LNG plant that was being built on the BC coast. The Wet’suwet’en nation have lived on and governed their territories for thousands of years. They have never signed treaties or sold their land to Canada. In 1997, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs joined Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs and won the landmark Delgamuukw-Gidsaywa Supreme Court of Canada case. The court recognized that the Wet’suwet’en People have never given up title to 22,000 km2 (85,000 mi2) of land in northern British Columbia. Despite these rulings, the governments of Canada and British Columbia continue to assert jurisdiction over this territory and have issued permits for resource projects without consent of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. Wet’suwet’en People upholding decisions made in accordance with Wet’suwet’en law have been terrorized by the RCMP and criminalized by the Canadian state, and have repeatedly been arrested for occupying and controlling access to their own territories. Canoe Foundation has assisted with the funding of their legal challenges. While these actions were eventually unsuccessful, it looks as if the Canadian, Alberta and BC governments are again intent on plowing ahead with planned pipelines through unceeded First Nations territories in BC.
Indigenous Peoples will tell you that they do not own the land…they belong to the land…they are part of the land…the Yintah. We need to be respectful and to listen to them.
In future blogs, I will address the three major events of the week and the implications for us all.
Please check out our fundraising initiative the Paddle Project which allows us to continue our advocacy for Indigenous climate action: Our Paddles - Canoe Foundation
Strawberry Fields Memorial in Central Park, NYC photo courtesy of Strawberry Field Liverpool.
