Anarchism in Canada has been a historically marginal movement, initially being maintained by small, mostly immigrant groups. It briefly gained relevance with the rise of the Industrial Workers of the World in the 1910s and Les Automatistes in the 1940s. It experienced a revival during the late 20th century, agitating within the new social movements of the period, while the Squamish Five carried out a series of bombings. Contemporary Canadian anarchism has been involved in the indigenous land rights and anti-globalization movements, and has established projects throughout the country.
Anarchism has historically been a small, relatively marginal movement in Canada, gaining little support outside of small groups in major cities.[1] Self-organization played an important part in village life during the settling of the West (Saskatchewan, specifically) as the State was distant and infrastructure-related matters such as maintaining roads, building bridges and schools, and organizing local governance and social life needed to be tackled through spontaneous self-organization.[2][verification needed]
Following the suppression of the Paris Commune, a number of its participants fled to North America, where they established anarchist-communist journals that gained a small circulation in Quebec.[3] In 1897, Peter Kropotkin visited the country and recommended that the Doukhobors, a religious minority facing persecution in Russia, move to the Canadian Prairies.[1] In the early 20th century, some small anarchist groups were established in Canada's largest cities. By the outbreak of World War I, the syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) had organised thousands of members in Canada, largely unskilled and migrant workers, but it was suppressed over the course of the war. After more reformist members broke away from the IWW and established the One Big Union (OBU), which carried out general strikes throughout the country, the Canadian IWW continued on throughout the 1920s as a relatively small organisation.[3]
During the 1920s and 1930s, the Canadian anarchist movement was largely maintained by Jewish immigrants in major cities. Following the Spanish Civil War, they were joined by German, Italian and Spanish anarchist refugees, although many fell away from anarchist activism by the late 1940s. During the post-war period, anarchism was largely associated with the Quebecois Automatiste art scene, with Paul-Émile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Françoise Sullivan issuing a manifesto which called for the promotion of anarchism and the arts. Anarchism saw a revival in the new social movements of the 1970s and 1980s, including the Canadian environmentalist, feminist and indigenous land rights movements, while several anarchist journals circulated throughout the late 20th century. Violent direct action groups also formed during this time, with the Direct Action group carrying out bombings against a BC Hydro power station and a Litton Industries plant; all five of its members were arrested for the attacks in 1983.[3]
By the turn of the 21st century, the anarchist movement had begun to grow, with anarchist bookshops, cooperatives and social centres spreading throughout the country, while regularly anarchist bookfairs were held.[4] The Media Collective was a social group based in Toronto between 1994 and 1996 whose events included guerrilla performances and free vegan meals from Food Not Bombs. One of its splinter groups, TAO Communications ("The Anarchy Organization"), opposed transnational neoliberalism and Silicon Valley views of capitalism by providing unionized communications service: both communication logistics during actions and reports on police.[5] Anarchists played a role in the Canadian anti-globalization movement, disrupting the APEC Canada 1997 summit and the 3rd Summit of the Americas in 2001.[4] Anarchist solidarity with the indigenous rights movement also led to the development of an "anarcho-indigenism", notably by the Mohawk activist Taiaiake Alfred, who sought to refine anarchist practice for the indigenous context.[6]
Book fairs
Canada is home to a number of anarchist book fairs and other festivals. In 2015, the Victoria Anarchist Book Fair celebrated its 10th anniversary.[7]Edmonton held an anarchist book fair from 2002 through 2013, inclusive.[8] Similar fairs are held in Montréal,[9]Toronto,[10]Winnipeg,[11] and other locations throughout Canada.
Antliff, Alan (2009). "Anarchism, Canada". In Ness, Immanuel (ed.). The International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest. pp.110–111. doi:10.1002/9781405198073.wbierp0046.
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