I cannot celebrate the birthday of what is
supposedly one of the best countries in the world when Canada is
complicit in Israel's genocide of Palestinians
By Fareed Khan
On July 1, 2025, as Canadians draped themselves in red and white and
gathered for fireworks and festivities, I found myself unable to join the
chorus of celebration.
Fifty-seven
years ago, as a young child newly arrived in Canada, I marked my first
“Dominion Day” with a sense of wonder. Every year on this holiday my family would picnic on the
Toronto Islands or at one of the city’s beaches, a ritual that defined
my early Canada Days. As I grew older, the holiday evolved into
gatherings with friends, often culminating in one of the spectacular
fireworks displays across Toronto.
Back then, wearing a Canadian
flag shirt felt like a proud declaration of belonging to a nation that
stood for justice, compassion, and opportunity. But now, Canada Day
feels hollow, a mere date on the calendar, overshadowed by a profound
disillusionment with what this country has become.
My pride in
Canada has waned over the decades, particularly in the last twenty
years, as I’ve watched our leaders steer the nation down a path that
betrays this nation's ideals. The Canada I once celebrated feels like a
distant memory, replaced by a nation led by politicians who, in my view,
exhibit a disturbing sociopathy. They violate their oaths of office and
disregard the treaties and international conventions to which Canada is
a signatory.
This betrayal has been most glaring in the past two
years, as Canada’s complicity in the ongoing tragedy in Gaza has
tarnished its reputation on the world stage. The genocide unfolding in
Gaza—where over 63,000, including countless children, have been killed
amid relentless violence—has been met with Canada’s tacit support while at the same time Canadian leaders uttering mealy mouthed platitudes claiming Canada opposes Israel's crimes.
Our
government, through Canadian based Jewish charities and through public policy, has continued to fund and arm a nation committing what many,
including myself, see as some of the gravest crimes against humanity
since the Holocaust. This is not a distant historical event but a horror
unfolding in real-time, documented on social media, often by the
perpetrators themselves. Yet, when Canadians like me—Jewish or
otherwise—dare to call out this complicity and demand accountability, we
are smeared as “antisemitic.” Some have lost livelihoods for standing
against genocide, a chilling reminder that dissent, even opposing genocide, in today’s Canada
comes at a steep cost.
This is not the Canada I once knew, nor is
it the Canada that millions still celebrate as one of the world’s best
places to live. The irony is stark: a nation founded on the genocide of
Indigenous peoples, rooted in racism and white supremacy, now finds
itself entangled in another genocide thousands of miles away. The
destruction of Indigenous societies in Canada’s past is a wound that
remains unhealed, yet our leaders seem to have learned nothing,
repeating history by enabling atrocities abroad. How can we celebrate a
nation that, despite its virtues, is complicit in such profound moral
failures?
Canada’s role in Gaza is not an isolated misstep but
part of a broader erosion of the values I once associated with this
country. The ideals of justice, equality, and compassion that I wrapped
myself in alongside the Canadian flag feel betrayed. When I think of
Canada Day now, I cannot ignore the blood on our hands—blood that stains
the maple leaf as surely as it stains the conscience of those who
remain silent.
While some may argue that Canada’s domestic
achievements—its healthcare system, its multiculturalism, its relative
stability—warrant celebration, these accomplishments ring hollow when
our nation supports a state committing crimes that echo the worst of
humanity’s past.The parallels to history are haunting. After the
Holocaust, many claimed ignorance, insisting they didn’t know the extent
of the atrocities. Today, there is no such excuse. The horrors in Gaza have been broadcast daily for more than 18 months, and they are undeniable and inescapable.
When this
genocide finally ends, when the architects of these crimes face justice,
and when Palestinians secure their right to a recognized nation, there
will be those who will claim they opposed the violence all along. But silence
in the face of such clear evidence is complicity, and Canada’s relative
silence—its active support through selling arms to Israel and its diplomatic support—implicates us all.
This Canada Day, I did not celebrate.
The threat of external challenges, like the spectre of Donald Trump's annexation threats, pales in comparison to the moral crisis within our borders.
To celebrate would have been to ignore the cries of Palestinian children, the
destruction of an entire society, and the stain on Canada’s soul. There
are indeed good things about Canada—its natural beauty, its diverse
communities, its potential for greatness—but these cannot overshadow the
reality of our complicity in atrocities. Celebration is reserved for
moments of triumph, for times when a nation lives up to its ideals. This
year, Canada falls far short.
As Canadians, we must confront this
uncomfortable truth. We cannot hide behind our historic reputation as a beacon of
progress while our government enables a rogue, terrorist state’s crimes. Instead
of fireworks and flag-waving, this Canada Day should have been a moment
of reckoning when we demanded that our leaders end Canada’s support for
Israel’s actions, honour the international conventions we’ve signed, and
restore the moral integrity of this nation. Only then can we begin to
rebuild a Canada worthy of celebration—one that stands for justice and humanity. Until that day, Canada
Day will remain for me, just another day.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
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