I've lived in
Victoria long enough to remember what the great annual regatta used to
be and mean to the locals.
Sadly passed, it's another case of our
little burg's (d)evolution. But this attitude extends beyond us. I
wrote the below a couple years back, and but for adding details like
"our" government's further downward spiral towards militaristic
fascism, it still holds true.
Been down to the Swiftsure yet?
I’m
old enough to remember the raucous, mad, Bacchanalia that was
Swiftsure. In those days, thousands of Victorians flocked to the inner
harbour for the boats, buskers, and beer gardens. But a few years back
a particularly heavy-handed Victoria City Police action, designed to
make the popular event more tourist friendly, triggered a riot. Ever
since, the police presence has grown, the fines become more costly and
frequent, and the crowds dwindled.
What had once been the
unofficial summer inaugural festival Victorians shared with visitors,
is now just another opportunity to hawk cheesy t-shirts and mementos to
the weekend owners of downtown Victoria. The locals now know,
Victoria’s heart belongs to the tourists.
Another group of
tourists will come to Canada this summer and the police have already
put the word out. Yesterday, the RCMP announced Canadian soldiers have
been given the ‘green light’ to shoot dead those with the temerity to
protest the destruction of light, liberty, and the living world at the
G8 meetings in Kananaskis, Alberta.
The men and women of the
Canadian military, those newly returned from their War on Terrorism,
will be lining their sights on Raging Grannies, Radical Cheerleaders,
union leaders, and citizens concerned that the current economic
paradigm, so ably represented by the corporate and government elite
attending the G8 summit, is destroying the lives of millions around the
world and will inevitably result in the destruction of the planet
itself.
The message is clear: Kananaskis belongs to these others.
The
dissoluton of our nation and its beliefs has been lightning fast. The
election of Brian Mulroney and his delivery of our resources to
foreigners; the crippling corporate trade deals; political surrender to
the will of commerce; the abandonment of foreign policy and the laws
that govern our constitution; and now our army used to enforce the will
of George Bush and his criminal coterie. The RCMP’s message couldn’t be
more clear: Canada doesn’t belong to you and we’re willing to kill to
prove it.
My neighbour, a long time Canadian and Victoria
resident remarked, “Swiftsure is dead, hardly a person about.†We
talked a little about the old days and concluded, it doesn’t belong to
us anyway.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broadcast from the University of Victoria
Swiftsure, Driftsure...'05
