Upcoming Event

The Vickers-Verduyn Speakers Series was established in 2011 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Carleton-Trent joint-PhD in Canadian Studies. The PhD in Canadian Studies at Carleton is now an independent program. The School of Canadian Studies has invited a wide range of scholars, activists and artists to address the ways in which their work potentially challenges or influences approaches to Canadian Studies research.

From Black Lives Matter to the War on Woke: the (Homegrown) Politics of Backlash in Canada with Dr. Debra Thompson

This presentation examines the rise of this political backlash in Canada, reflecting on this time of political upheaval and flux. It considers the collapse of old political norms, the uncertainty surrounding emerging alternatives, the influence of American culture wars, and the pressing question of whether Canadian democracy can withstand the challenges ahead.

In the summer of 2020, hundreds of thousands of Canadians across the country marched under the rallying cry of Black Lives Matter, in protest against endemic police violence and systemic anti-Black racism. Now, less than five years later, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, once the avatar of centre-left progressivism, is wildly unpopular, forced to concede his leadership of the Liberal Party. In addition, there are widespread attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in universities and corporate Canada alike, public consensus on the benefits of immigration has fractured, and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has successfully mobilized simmering resentment to wage a war on wokeism.

Dr. Debra Thompson is an Associate Professor of Political Science and a Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University. An internationally recognized expert on the comparative politics of race, her research focuses on the relationships among race, the state, public policy, and inequality in Canada and beyond. She is the author of the award-winning books, The Schematic State: Race, Transnationalism, and the Politics of the Census (2016) and The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging (2022). Dr. Thompson produces and hosts the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s In/Equality podcast and is also a contributing columnist for Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail.