1/2 - The Uncensoring of Canadian History
(The Canada Goose: widely acknowledged as fricking terrifying. Perhaps a manifestation of the nation's repressed guilty conscience.)
We Canadians have a problem with accepting that we aren’t the perfect, polite nation that we purport ourselves to be - that we’re not so different from injustice-filled, bigot-led America. Of course, there is no such thing as this separation of good and evil that supposedly takes place along the 49th parallel. We are just as much a product of our past wrongdoings as the United States, but instead of owning up to our shortcomings, we prefer to sweep those uncomfortable moments under the beaverskin rug and focus instead on the nice things that we’ve done.
This false narrative that we indulge in is the reason why Canadian children learn about the Underground Railroad, but not the Canadian slave trade. Why we know about Bethlem Royal Hospital (more commonly known as Bedlam) in Britain but not Riverview Hospital in British Columbia. Why when we hear that London is the serial killer capital of the world, we are surprised to learn that that means London, Ontario.
While this certainly isn’t one of the most problematic instances of self-censorship, it is a good place to start to explain Canada’s denial of its past. London, Ontario was subject to 29 murders over the course of 25 years. Due to its relatively low population, this gives it the highest ratio of killer to citizen in the world. Let me propose to you a simple challenge: close your eyes and think of any three serial killers. (Surprise, they’re right behind you! Only joking...)
Now are any of them on this first list?
Christian Magee
Russell Johnson
Paul Bernardo
Léopold Dion
Clifford Olson
Allan Legere
Gilbert Paul Jordan
No? How about this one?
Jack the Ripper
Ted Bundy
H.H. Holmes
Jeffrey Dahmer
John Wayne Gacy
Belle Gunness
Harold Shipman
The subtle difference between these two lists of convicted serial killers is one that you might be able to guess from the theme of this blog post. The first has only Canadians, whereas the second consists of five Americans and two Brits.
Yet the serial killer capital of the world is squarely, immovably, in Canada. So why are our killers not as famous? I suspect that you can guess.
Moving on to practices that our friend Harold Shipman would approve, just like America, Canada’s treatment of the mentally ill has been historically deplorable. Yet, again, it is the American hospitals that become horror stories, while Canada’s abuses stay buried. It isn’t that our Southern neighbours are proud of their gruesome history, but rather that they aren’t afraid to admit that they’ve made mistakes.
This trend is also evident in many other parts of our history. Slavery, for example, is recognized almost exclusively as American, while Canada is remembered as the magical haven for those that escaped it. This is, frankly, untrue. Yet the fact that many of us continue to believe it is alarming.
As much as we might like to believe ourselves the “good guys”, this sets us up for failure. How can we learn from our mistakes, missteps, and misdeeds if we deny having ever committed them?
Canada is not allowed a “Get Out of Jail Free” card in the Monopoly game of history. So it’s time to dig up all those skeletons buried in our snow covered backyard. It’s time to look those skeletons in the face, apologize to them, and swear that we won’t send any more to join them. (note: for metaphorical purposes only. Please do not do this with real skeletons.)
This attitude towards our own history is something I tried to address when creating a story to reveal one of these “uncomfortable” moments of our past.
Stay tuned to look at more skeletons,
- A.M. Ham
