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

Friday, April 11, 2025 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm

• In-person event
• 1811, Dunton Tower, Carleton University
• 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6

• Contact
• Emma Fraser, fassevents@cunet.carleton.ca, 6135201149

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.