'Multicultural Canada' is being tested today with defamation about abuse of indigenous kids, Muslims, Asians, Jews, Blacks, and now Russians.
Russian-Canadian citizens are being canceled and abused for Putin's 'special military operations' on Ukraine. Several instances involved Canadian Doukhobors.
In April 2022, Kootenay BC Doukhobor 'Zemfira' submitted her complaints about 'irrational hysteria, and hypocrisy' in blaming everything Russian that has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, like 'Dostoevsky [writer] and Daniil Medvedev [tennis player]'. Read her ranting 4-page commentary: 'Canceling Russians'.
In June 2023, the New York Times quoted USCC Chairman J.J. Verigin Jr: '... because of anger over the Ukraine conflict, several Doukhobors in recent months had been denied service in local shops in Castlegar.' See: A Pacifist Sect From Russia Is Shaken by War, and Modernity.
Alberta
In 2019 and 2021 a controversial sculpture in front of the Edmonton Ukrainian Youth Association was vandalized. In June 2021 'Alberta creates grant program for security measures to deter hate crimes', CBC News.
In February 2022, the Calgary, Alberta, All Saints Russian Orthodox Church was vandalized. In October 2022, a man phoned the priest and threatened to kill the Russian members, and was arrested according to Calgary CTV News.
In March 2022, Russian hockey star Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was booed in Edmonton by Oilers fans, and everywhere he toured. (New York Times, NoVa Caps Fans blog by Jon Sorensen)
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| Russian Pavilion at the Edmonton Heritage Festival Aug. 3, 2019. Edmonton Journal |
The Russian Heritage Cultural Development Association (RHCDA) reported that their members and the local Russian community have been subject to defamation, bullying and threats over past few months, and banned by EHFA from participating. The EGFA violated their own 'Core Values' and the 'Alberta Human Rights Act.'
Doukhobor elder singer Alexander Kalesnikoff, third generation Russian, President of the Calgary Folk Arts Council for the past 25 years, has also been the Master of Ceremonies at the annual Calgary Heritage Day festival, to be held August 7, 2023.
When asked about any abuse of Russians in Calgary, his comments were that there have been some instances, however, it seems not on the scale of what was happening in Edmonton. The Russian Orthodox church suffered some damage, along with the Bible burnt at another.
There is only a handful of Doukhobors, approximately 35-40 thousand Russians and Russian-speaking people in Calgary, and 'about 345,000 of ... Ukrainian descent'.
In 2022, Kalesnikoff said that there was no abuse of any sort at the Heritage Day Festival. I would never let that happen, also, I would not disallow any cultural entity to perform on our stage. This year in 2023 we have police present for the safety not only for the performers, but the general public as this is a family event, young and old.
In 2022, there were Russians dancing and showing off their culture in song, music and dance, alongside Ukrainians. This year in 2023, we have the Russian and Ukrainian groups performing at the Heritage Day Festival also, in fact, some of the Russian groups have amongst them some Ukrainians, some from Belarus, some from Kazakhstan. Cultural diversity is the basic fabric that integrates, without assimilating more than 120 cultural organizations that exist in the City of Calgary. Heritage Day Festival promotes the preservation, development, advancement and awareness of the community at large.
Kalesnikoff says: 'We may have a unified identity in the country we live, but we are indeed proud of the uniqueness of our individual heritage.'
Heritage Day Festival’s are partially funded by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, the cities of Calgary and Edmonton, and by business sponsors which may or may not be more sensitive to their images.
The Edmonton Heritage Festival is is much larger in many ways than Calgary. In Edmonton, 70-75 pavilions, over 100 cultures may be present at the three-day celebration, whereas in Calgary, it is a one day affair, presenting folk arts in song, music and dance on one stage at Olympic Plaza. Attendance of over 5,000 in Calgary, in Edmonton 350,000.
Kalesnikoff surmised tensions in Edmonton, maybe be due to the fact that the City is hosting thousands of ‘displaced’ Ukrainians, more than in Calgary and this may or may not affect the decision made.
'Over 12000 Ukrainians have already come to Edmonton, with about a thousand more arriving each month' is stated on Edmonton Hosts Ukrainians website.
60,000 Ukrainians have emigrated to Ontario under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program due to the war. Under the federal program, each adult is eligible for a one-time payment of $3,000, while families with children can get an additional $1,500 for each child.
Also see: Canada: Ukrainian refugee crisis (2022–present), Wikipedia.
To stem future harassment in the Kootenays, the UCCC could try to invite the racist store owners to their events escorted by a guide to translate, introduce them to members, the history and tour the buildings and landmarks. Maybe Doukhobors can help un-cancel Russians in Canada.
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Update: 2 August 2023
In their Comments below, the Rev. Dr. Mealing and Dr. Beissel remind us of Canada internment of different nationalities during WW1 and WW2, the effects of which still linger.
- Anti-German Sentiment, Canadian War Museum
- The Internment of Ukrainian Canadians, Canadian War Museum
- Ukrainian Canadian internment, Wikipedia
- Internment of Japanese Canadians, Wikipedia
- Italian Canadian internment, Wikipedia
- More on internment Canada
the WAR MACHINE of the United States Government is making too much profit for this war to stop. The worst hypocrite PM TURDEAU of the Liberal Canadian Government uses this war to further divide canadians and maintain dictatorial control of freedom and human rights and God's truth. We have never before been so close to the end of this world as we are now. We are controlled by evil men committing global genocide and murdering innocent people for their love of money and power. We are all doomed under satan's rule.
ReplyDeleteDOUKHOBOR HAVE MUCH TO OFFER SOCIETY
ReplyDeleteI lived in the West Kootenays from 1969-80, mostly in Castlegar, Pass-Creek, Goose-Creek, Krestova, Slocan, Renata, Deer-Park, Robson working at the Celgar pulp mill with Doukhobor & some Mennonite workmates. The issue before us all as humanity is breathing life back into our ancient 'Indigenous' (Latin 'self-generating') COUNCIL PROCESS or Both-sided, Equal-time, Recorded & Published Dialogues. Whether to create Agreements between us or to Resolve Conflict, people need to learn the ancient way of formal Council. To know we are stronger for our different perspectives laid out side-by-side in Dialogue rather than the Monologues so indoctrinated into us by our colonial institutions. When we rebirth dialogue among Russian & Ukrainian as well as western Oligarch owned & commanded aggressor nations, peace comes through understanding. Lev Tolstoy learned from extensive dialogues with Mohandas Gandhi about 'Satyagraha' (Hindi 'Truth-search') as the same ancient 'Swadeshi' (H. 'indigenous') Council-Process once universal among all indigenous humanity. https://sites.google.com/site/indigenecommunity/d-participatory-structure/1-both-sides-now-equal-time-recorded-dialogues
The Sinixt (Lakes) peoples driven from the Arrow & Slocan Lakes by the invading Canadian Army forced down south to the USA, in order to clear the way for the 'peace' communities, would have helped the 3 peace (+ Quaker) & other invading settler communities, but Sinixt survivors generally weren't welcomed on their returns to their ancient 10s of 1000s of years old homes, communities & Polyculture Orchards. Doukhobor were probably most like the Sinixt, living intentionally in ~100 (50-150) person Multihome groupings of the 2 big houses & the U-shaped group of ~12 houses around the back. Multihome (Longhouse-apartment, Pueblo-townhouse & Kanata-village) loving, intimate, intergenerational, female-male, interdisciplinary, critical-mass, economies-of-scale produce a hive of ecological 'economy' (Greek 'oikos' = 'home' + 'namein' = 'care-&-nurture'), abundance, second to none. 70% of people today live in Multihomes with an average of 32 dwelling units = ~100 people. 20% of Multihome-dwellers are extended families living intentionally in proximity for social & economic collaboration. Multihome extended families contribute trillions of $$ worth of the most individually appropriate food, shelter, clothing, warmth, health, caring & sharing per year to the N. American economy, albeit unrecognized by institution, government & academia. https://sites.google.com/site/indigenecommunity/C-relational-economy/1-extending-our-welcome-participatory-multihome-cohousing
The Russian author & geographer Petr Kropotkin wrote the amazing book 'Mutual-Aid, a factor of evolution' published in 1915 exactly upon the ancient indigenous ways of Russia in abundant Relational Economy. As we learn to welcome & economically include friend, neighbour & stranger, like our indigenous ancestors before us & as Doukhobor for a short while manifested, then people are set at ease. https://sites.google.com/site/indigenecommunity/c-relational-economy
Very sad, unfortunate that these things happen. The good news is, I guess, that Russians and Ukrainians are generally mixing well here in Canada ... and that in time people forget and start again to treat Russians with caring and respect. Thanks for this "report" Koozma - is the title accurate and fair, though? Perhaps, I'm not sure. Best wishes Gord
ReplyDeleteHate and misunderstandings fueled by lies and half truths is the cornerstone of propaganda. Governments, media drones and corporations have honed misleading PR to the nth degree. The NWO target is to nuture dissent and chaos of the masses to garner control of the whole planet. The removal of 90% of the people of this earth has been told to us without shame. By replacing the majority of us with robotics and AI, there rational is that it will be much easier to control the 10% of us that will be left to be controlled and enslaved. Wake up time. Kman, edtor, DIGILEAK News Not Noise
ReplyDeleteEmailed to KJTarasoff@gmail.com :
ReplyDeleteTudy McLaine, Ottawa, Ontario. July 30, 2023
So sorry to hear this frightening and unfair news, Koozma. Keep up your good educational work to help contradict the basis for such undesirable treatment of your people.
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ReplyDeleteDr. Veronika Makarova, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
Thank you very much for bringing up this topic, Koozma.
Neither Doukhobors nor Russian immigrants have anything to do with the war and are not responsible for it. And yes, the blogger is right: the only way to stop bullying is to speak up and educate. So far we have been following the pessimistic old rule sidi i molchi (sit and be quiet).
All Canadian residents and citizens should be equal no matter where they were born. Unfortunately, the basic human right of equality is being replaced in Canada by the notorious George Orwell’s "animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” — re-think, re-speak.
To add another theme:
>> Why are Russian refugees not accepted in Canada? They are fleeing from the war and from the regime that the Canadian government condemns.
>> Are they outcasts because they are Russian?
>> Why are students from Russia who want to be educated in Canada denied visas?
>> Is Canada condemning the regime (which the refugees oppose and the students may learn to oppose as well), or is it condemning an ethnicity, similarly to bans on Chinese entering Canada in 1923?
The ban on Chinese immigration was branded as racism.
What about a ban on Russian immigration?
What is it called?
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ReplyDeleteHenry Beissel, Ottawa, Ontario. August 1, 2023
You forget Germans in your list of people discriminated against In Canada.
All Germans are Nazis here. I have suffered such discrimination myself.
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ReplyDeleteRev. Dr. F. Mark Mealing , Castlegar, BC. August 1, 2023.
Knee-jerk ‘patriotism’ is a curse that is, sadly, unconfined. It comes in part from a slavish attachment to any public pronouncements that pretend or do speak with authority; regardless of their validity.
It is comparable to the howls of ‘anti-Semitism’ when Israel’s Likud government is criticized; people refuse to recognize that a governing Party and the human people of a nation are two distinct things, however they overlap.
I was an infant during WW II, but even at the age of 4 was puzzled by the idea that ‘Germany was bad’, a widely voiced opinion, when the sin was on the part of the Nazis: who were not a nation, but just a bunch of crazed, power-mad thugs.
I’m not Russian in nationality, descent of citizenship: I‘m an AngloCanadian and a supporter of human decency.
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ReplyDeleteDimitri Lascaris, Montreal, Quebec, August 5, 2023
Thanks for sharing that, Koozma. Very informative (and alarming).
It's instructive to compare how Russians are treated in Canada today to the treatment Americans received after Bush invaded Iraq. Of course, Bush had far less justification for invading Iraq than Russia had for invading Ukraine, and yet ordinary Americans did not have to endure the slightest bit of cancellation in Canada after Bush's invasion of Iraq.
Peace, Dimitri
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ReplyDeleteCandan Badem, Ph.D., Turkey [Historian born in Kars] - Sent: Aug 24, 2023
I am sorry to hear that Canada now cancels Russians. Russians should not pay for Putin's war. This war between two close nations is so meaningless. I feel Canadian Doukhobours like my zemlyaki [Russian: countrymen].