By Graeme Beamiss (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: October 10, 2012
Three weeks ago, the social movement known as Occupy Wall Street turned one year old. For those of you in need of a refresher, the idea for Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was initially proposed in an Adbusters article in June 2011.
It was a response to both (1) the abuses of power by governments and private industry and an over emphasis on military spending in the face of appalling domestic conditions and (2) the successes of the peoples of Tunisia and Egypt in their protest against government abuses.
The idea was to engage the issues by peacefully assembling and defining, by group consensus, a list of demands and the manner in which resistance would take place. The article was published at a time when disillusionment, anger and a desire for change were reaching a boiling point.
As June 2011 drew to a close, several groups gathered (the most prominent being “New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts” and the OWS activists themselves), joined and set to planning one of the largest social movements the West had ever seen. Zuccoti Park, a privately-owned stretch of land adjacent to the economic nerve centre, was selected as the demonstration site. What was initially a loosely contrived assembly of individuals with a shared desire for social justice became, on September 17, 2011, the Occupy Wall Street movement and the mobilization of the 99 per cent.
Since spreading to Canada and around the world, the movement evolved to address regionally-specific consequences of the underlying issues: the widening wealth gap and the abuses of corporate, financial and governmental power.
But what does that mean for Canada today?
To answer that, it’s important to look at what Canada and the U.S. have in common. We both call ourselves democracies, we both saw the mismanagement of bailouts to private institutions, we both passed new domestic security legislation in the wake of an increased fear of attack, we both have similar financial systems and for a year now and we’ve both seen a mobilization by working and middle-class citizens determined to see a change.
That being said, the major difference between the OWS groups is their motivation to protest. While the rich/poor gap is still very much included in Canada, it is the political aspect that is the driving force behind Canada’s Occupy movement. In a clip posted on YouTube by web publisher Doug Brinkman of The Civil Information Activist, speakers for Occupy Edmonton identified several major issues. These included election fraud (Robo calls), the passing of the latest Omnibus crime bill and the militarization of the culture as an end to Canada’s reputation as a diplomatic and level-headed nation. These are sentiments shared by the groups presently occupying Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
The movement has received support from the opposition parties in parliament. “What the Occupation movement is expressing is what we’ve been saying in the House of Commons every single day in question period,” said Peggy Nash, Finance Critic of the NDP, according to an article by Daniel Proussalidis on Canoe.ca. Despite this support, the movement still struggles with the criticism levied against it in its infancy. How can it be effective without a unified set of goals and a practical policy outline?
Essentially, the real problem for those outside of OWS is that the movement and its supporters are responding idealistically to a problem that requires a realistic approach.
This is not an unfair appraisal to be sure. The movement has cost taxpayer dollars in the form of increased police and waste disposal staff at the encampments. Not everyone adheres to a strict non-violence policy, posing a threat to persons, property and legitimacy of the movement itself. Lastly, non-participation and sign waving produce no immediate results.
These are all important components of the ongoing discussion. After all, no movement in history begins refined and effective without first overcoming hurdles like these. It is important, however, to remember that every revolution takes time, that the lack of mainstream media coverage does not mean that it has lost momentum (in fact, it is quite the opposite) and that the issues at hand will continue to affect lives whether or not they are recognized.
For better or worse, life in Canada will change as a result. My advice? Stay informed and stay critical.
