The Fight For and Against Edward Cornwallis in Halifax

Peace Trail - Neil Young

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhkzwdOpKC4

Canada's 150th birthday celebrations has raised the ire of a number of people, but most especially (it seems) with the First Nations people of this land. The land was inhabited for a millennia before the people from across the pond came to claim the land as their own. Canada became a nation and the white man's country by confiscating land and removing indigenous people who stood in the way. Victory at all costs.

Success in business comes at the cost of another. Two coffee shops in one block doesn't increase the number of coffee drinkers but spreads the consumer dollar over two locations. This concept includes the business of increasing the landholding of a nation. In the case of the formation of Canada, the First Nations already surviving on the land needed to move over and make room. By choice or by force. According to history, more often than not it was by force. Sadly, to some degree that dominance over the First Nations people seems to be continuing today.

Canada became a country at the expense of the First Nations people. But the country I call Canada, still and always did include First Nations people. Maybe it was always a nation and we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of its official naming rather than its' birthday? 

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In Halifax, Nova Scotia, there is a sense of anger and frustration boiling under the surface and waiting to erupt on the streets and especially in the parks. And the topic of frustration is not just the sesquicentennial celebrations but a specific individual, Edward Cornwallis.  

A symbolically removed Cornwallis statue
at Halifax park on 7.15-17 : my photo

It wasn't that long ago that I started to hear rumblings about the founder of the city, Edward Cornwallis and the honouring of his name and memory that many felt was unjustified. But apparently it has been going on since at least 1995 when Cornwallis Place on the waterfront was renamed Summit Place due to his controversial treatment of the native Mi'kmaq population. Then in 2011 a motion was brought forth, approved and completed to rename Cornwallis Junior High School to Halifax Citadel Junior High. Shortly thereafter signs for the Cornwallis River were removed - although it was not renamed. 

I thought it would be wise to educate myself and what I found was enlightening. People questioned why a biography was never written about Edward Cornwallis if he was such a significant character in the building of a nation if not the founding of the biggest city on the Eastern seaboard. Well, it turns out that it would not be a flattering read. 

The consensus in all that I researched seemed to indicate that prior being sent to establish a British colony in what is now known as Nova Scotia, Cornwallis was little more than a privileged brat. He had served in several previous positions, which he seems to have been awarded due to his rich, very influential and titled family not his ability or past performance within the military. 

As a commander, Cornwallis was probably responsible for more fatalities of white army men overseas than the number of Natives and Acadians in Nova Scotia (that number is actually unknown however). 400 British soldiers under the command of Cornwallis lost their lives in one battle alone. He resigned another command before the troops declared mutiny against him. For his military failures he was court-martialed (twice) but was able to defend and save himself but not his reputation in the court of public opinion. His comrade-in-arms Admiral John Byng was not so lucky and was executed. Hardly a war hero. 

Upon arriving in Nova Scotia, Cornwallis decided to establish the colony he was sent to found on what was then Mi'kmaq hunting ground (now Halifax). He was ordered to make peace with the French and the Natives when taking over their land and engage them in a mutually beneficial trade proposal. Cornwallis chose not to, instead he threatened war if they didn't comply with his extradition of their lands. And the natives chose to fight. 

The Mi'kmaq scalped first. This is true. It is also true that Cornwallis issued a bounty for the scalp of each native man, woman or child killed by the settlers. The settlers didn't scramble to profit from this bounty and Cornwallis was forced to increase the monetary prize.

Edward Cornwallis came to the new world as a governor in the spring of 1749 and left in the fall of 1752, some 26 months later. I think there are probably many other people who did more to establish the city of Halifax than Cornwallis did. Maybe he is getting far more credit with monuments and references to his name to maintain his legacy than his legacy is worth?

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I think he was generally a failed military man who pouted when his settlement of the province and city of Halifax failed and he left before the entire project imploded, leaving others behind to pick up the pieces and make Halifax a proud city.

But should his statue come down from the park which bears his name? The short answer is no. 

The long answer is that the name of the park should be changed. Some suggestions at the recent protest included "The Halifax Peace and Freedom Park". I like that. The statue itself needs some revisions. A plaque added that includes information about all of history. The good and the bad. 

The fact that the statue is there has opened a dialogue that may have been tucked away in the memory of past generations, with the truth forgotten. Personally, I would have never considered researching the man, he was known as a the founder of the city and nothing more. 

When people go to the park, it would be nice if they could look at the statue and learn why he stands there and why he shouldn't stand there. There isn't enough education about the First Nations struggles in the school system, let's make this a teaching lesson. 

If we are going to erase all the controversial figures from our history, we will not have a history. Even Sir John A. MacDonald referred to First Nations people as savages. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, raised the Chinese head tax from $50 to $500 to dissuade the immigration of Asians. (The tax was banned in 1923 but immigration wasn't permitted until 1947.) Canada was a country and women were not considered persons until October 18, 1929. And it took even longer for the LGBT community to stop being persecuted and punished for their choices. 

And we all still fight for equality. Because there are always things we can improve upon. 

I guess my point is that rather than pretend the bad stuff didn't happen we should try to learn from it to make our world a better place. I will never have much respect for Cornwallis, but like other distasteful figures in our planets history I want to find a way to remember and mourn but never forget. 

credit

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/edward-cornwallis/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Cornwallis#Monuments
http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/72328-meet-real-edward-cornwallis
picture: http://www.quotehd.com/imagequotes/authors3/george-santayana-quote-those-who-do-not-learn-from-history-are-doomed.jpg
http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/sure-john-a-macdonald-was-was-a-racist-colonizer-and-misogynist-but-so-were-most-canadians-back-then/wcm/3e2e922b-cab8-41bb-86b9-5bcbd4e29062
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/1929-women-become-persons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_LGBT_history_in_Canada

Raping the Earth is not Consequence-free

Oh Mother Earth - Neil Young

Sunday April 22, 2012 is Earth Day! To commemorate and honour the occasion, we'll go green too. The computer is using it's share of electricity but the lights are off and the candles are lit. Okay, it is daytime, but the point is that the question of excess consumption is being considered. Making a commitment to improving our personal impact on the earth is a life long challenge not a 24 hour sprint on a day designated as Earth Day. Ten years from now we might be looking at Earth Day as another commercially generated spending spree like Valentines Day, except this time we will be going out and buying cloth bags and reusable water bottles that we bring home from the mall down the street in our 8-passenger capable vehicles! 

It may actually surprise you to know that the notion of Earth Day had its' inception in 1970 in the United States. A US senator from Wisconsin - Gaylord Nelson - was concerned about the air pollution that was becoming an accepted symbol of a successful industrial economy, oil spills were getting more public coverage, growth seemed to trample on and destroy anything in its' path in the name of prosperity. Change was underfoot, the population as a whole was no longer afraid to challenge what they viewed as wrong. Countless young people had raised their voices in protest of the Viet Nam war. It was felt that this energy could be channeled to alert the government to the need for change in environmental practices. And it worked, the Environmental Protection Agency was born, soon to be followed by the Clean Water Act, The Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. Effective or not is a matter of opinion but better than nothing, for the awareness was spreading. 

It wasn't until 1990 that the movement was launched into a global campaign and Canada was a part of the 200 million persons and 141 nations participating in changing how self-centered we had become in our views of entitlement to rape the earth consequence-free. Recycling programs got their start and tree-huggers joined the tree-planters to green up. In Canada, some people got so enthusiastic about the new initiatives that they turned Earth Day into Earth Week and in some cases Earth Month. Now they had the right idea! Caring for the world in which we live takes more than a 20 minutes clean-up challenge in our neighbourhoods once a year. It takes more than one day of using less electricity than normal. More than one day of leaving our car parked. It's not just recycling - it is reducing, reusing too. It's a lifestyle change. But really the lifestyle that we want to emulate is the habits of generations past. Some things I don't think I would want to go back to and certainly some changes have led to a healthier and more comfortable life, however it is our attitudes about entitlement that may need to change. Pens, for example, were re-used and re-dipped into inkwells. The only thing requiring replacement periodically was the nib. Now we toss the whole thing.  As we fight the notion of bringing our own bags to the stores, generations past did this exact thing before the emergence of the plastic bags. For the lack of surplus finances to spend on frivolity, toys were handed down, so were clothes and furniture. In the kitchen, most household tasks were undertaken with muscle power and not just to push the "on" button. Even when the small appliances became more the norm in the typical Canadian household, just around the corner was the repair shop. Today we are expected to throw out the toaster when it doesn't work quite right since it would cost more for repairs than the $8 to buy a new one. Even microwaves which 15-20 years ago cost the consumer nearly $900 for a low-quality oven can now be hand for the paltry sum of $50 - certainly not worth the cost of the technicians time to repair. You also had one family car that was shared among all members. On moisture free days, laundry hung on the line outside to dry - or on lines strung up across the expanse of the basement. There may have been one television for the entire household not one per room. These days it's not uncommon for each member of the home to be attached to a TV, laptop, cellphone and stereo-type device. Not wanting to go back to the dark ages, we have to find a way to make change in other ways. 

We need to go back to the fundamentals of the Earth Day ideal. Reduce, ReUse, Recycle. In that order! 

REDUCE: This isn't just to reduce the amount that we spend in consumer products - although that definitely has an impact. We also need to reduce our carbon footprint in the daily decisions of our life. Consider buying items in bulk to reduce the packaging cost and aftermath. Before you buy that apple marketed as organic from California, consider the apple grown in your own area. The apple from half a world away is leaving an incredibly large carbon footprint on its journey to your local supermarket and it likely matured on the truck during its' journey to look freshly picked just for you. Additionally the criteria on organic-status for the country of origin may be quite different than the standards for quality from your local producers. This applies to non-organic food products as well. If it's not available locally, consider the impact before you lay your money down. Maintain this mindset outside the grocery store and with every trip to the stores you make. 


One of my personal beefs is with the advertising for the new and more efficient appliances like washers and dryers. The new machines purport to use not only less energy but less water as well. But, not only do you have to purchase specialized laundry detergent, you also have to buy cleaning agents (chemicals) to use monthly to ensure efficient operation without foul smells invading clothes. My machine is not one of these High-Efficiency units, I have never cleaned it with anything other than vinegar once a year or so, and when I wash clothes they always come out smelling better not worse! But let's say your disposable income affords you the opportunity to buy this new laundry room miracle. And you leave the appliance department holding your head up high because you are going to be doing your part to "Green it Up". But wait, what is going to happen to the perfectly serviceable machines that you had up until now? Landfill clutter? It's like automobiles, if we all go out and replace our vehicles with the new hybrids, what is to become of the goods we already have. With gas prices what they are, good luck getting fair dollar value for that V-8 guzzler you have. Fill it up with the toaster that has become fickle, the digital clock with one LED light out and the TV deeper than 6" because nobody wants them and drive it all to the landfill. I will keep my washer and moderate my usage of it instead. Like the dishwasher, I will wait for a full load before I start it. When it's irreparable, then I will replace it. I own a laundry team that was built to withstand 20 years of family needs - the high-tech machines of today may last you 10 years - if that, for I've heard a lot of complaints about quality thus far. "Should have kept the old ones" is not an uncommon phrase. And I'm not talking marital partners. 

REUSE: This is a tough one for many people because it requires some common sense. We all know some people who are sorely lacking in that! Do not reuse Toilet paper, Valentine's Day Cards, personal hygiene products, intravenous needles, condoms and gum. Reusing some plastics have been proven to be harmful to our health because of the leaching of chemicals. Sometimes reusing requires a person to be a bit of a crafty handyperson, then you can make a swing from a tire or a bird feeder from a plastic bottle. 

Reusing the plastic disposable water bottles is a practice that I engaged a lot in, I was uncomfortable about the quantity of bottles in the recycling bin every week. Then out came the news that harmful chemicals were leaching into the drinking water with every re-fill and worse if you tossed it in the freezer the night before. My first thought was that it was the moguls of industry that were putting the fear into us to ensure we kept spending. If those plastic bottles were no good....were any other refillable receptacles safe? And why wasn't anyone working to make the plastic safe? Personally I was comfortable drinking municipal water (at home) until the Walkerton Ontario incident. Then we all learned that tap water could kill! At the town level, short cuts, short staffing, human error put us at risk. At home, the age and material of indoor pipes put us at risk. People bought bottled water in droves because they were scared. It can take months or years to find the cause of a disaster like Walkerton that is investigated immediately, but somehow decades after the fact with all evidence long disappeared, scientists can still tell us that the water we drank from the garden hose on a hot summers day in 1972 could cause adverse health effects. I'm just grateful that someone found a way to use my water bottles to make fabric, park bench and objets d'art and thus absolve me some guilt. 

Fear is the also the reason that we bought into the notion of cleaning our homes with disposable chemical laden cloths instead of household sponges. We had special towelettes for each room of the house because we couldn't risk so called cross-contamination. How did we ever managed to survive the past generations attempts to kill us by not washing their hands with antibacterial soap, they didn't disinfect tables, counters or cutlery. Egad! They used not only the same utensils but the same cutting boards for food preparation. And the cutting board was germ sucking wood! A 70 year old relative promptly threw out all the cutting boards dispute she had not killed any of her four children and started to buy disposable cutting boards for poultry. Fear will make us spend irrationally on "un-friendly" products. The fear is fed to us by the media and the companies that market the items. It is beneficial to their bottom line if we are using consumables and replacing them.

RECYCLE: Make this one easy for people and only the most insolent members of society will refuse to partake. I have found that when the choice of a recycle bin and garbage bin are both close at hand, people will stop to consider the proper receptacle for the item. This is behaviour that does a heart good to see. The problem often lies in the difficulty in knowing what is acceptable, especially when it comes to plastics. This number in a triangle is okay but that number in a circle is not. Not being an engineer, plastic is plastic - make all of it recyclable. If the margarine container is, the yogurt container should be also. Something are still too difficult to recycle. In some larger communities this isn't the case, but there is a lot of population outside of major metropolitan centers. Batteries, tires and paint cans are not accepted at curbside, so what is to be done with them? Sometimes in the absence of feasible options, the recourse is the landfill. Granted, if you have a vehicle you can use your carbon footprint to transport your batteries to a metropolitan disposal site...if. 

I am pretty proud of the efforts of my community in its' commitment to lowering the contribution to the landfill site. When we were all provided with an animal-proof composting bin, the curbside collection schedule changed. Weekly the composting and recycling is collected. Every other week garbage is collected. We reduced the household garbage to less than a green garbage bag in two weeks. There is no smell to it, because it is primarily packaging from consumer goods, the smell comes from the food scraps and such that is composted. Compliance to the programs was initially met with disbelief but now stands at 80% all for it. 365 days a year we care for the earth. And did you hear that the orange peels that I am tossing into the green bin are being earmarked for the tires that will be a standard option in the industry. But I need to know, will they smell freshly squeezed as you roll along down the highway? 

I think that people are really starting to get the idea that resources are limited and conservation is key. Whether you subscribe to the Global Warming Theory or not you cannot deny that everything we do impacts the health of our planet, some of which can never be repaired or recovered. Newtons' Third Law of Physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Law of Karma states that every action in life creates another reaction which produces another action and so on. Even the Bible itself supports this notion in "as ye sow, so also shall ye reap". They are all saying the same thing. What we do today will affect our tomorrow. If we want a tomorrow as glorious, bountiful and plentiful as our today we must be aware of how are actions will impact the future. The future for those who will still be here after we have gone and for those yet to come.