The Order of Colonial Violence

The Order of Ontario is the highest honour an Ontarian can receive. The award is appointed once yearly to outstanding individuals from across the province for their commitment to improving their communities. It celebrates the best of the best of Ontario—so why was David McKay, the CEO of the country’s dirtiest bank, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), among those to receive the award this year? 

The Order of Ontario awards ceremony took place just a few days ago, on November 21, at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The location and time of the event, which were kept private from the public but not from journalists, were leaked to a group of activists—members of Banking on a Better Future, and other Toronto grassroots groups—who gathered outside to object to David McKay receiving the award. Protestors staged a mock ceremony where they awarded a 15-foot blow-up David McKay doll the ‘Order of Colonial Violence,’ a more appropriate award for such a figure than the Order of Ontario.  

McKay is complicit in countless acts of colonial violence against Indigenous nations. McKay authorised the construction of Coastal Gaslink (CGL), a pipeline that was forcibly built last year across the unceded, sovereign land of the Wet’suwet’en nation. In fact, it was almost a year ago today that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) first invaded Wet’suwet’en land to build the pipeline. Including CGL, McKay has approved more than $262 billion in fossil fuel development projects since 2016, which makes RBC the dirtiest bank—the biggest investor in climate destruction—in Canada. 

The Order of Ontario is allegedly awarded to individuals who “have played an important role in building a stronger province, country, and world.” In addition, the Chancellor of the Order, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, states that the award celebrates “the good deeds and dedication” of outstanding Ontarians. Tell me, Ms. Dowdeswell, what good deeds is David McKay responsible for? How is he helping to build a stronger Ontario? If by good deeds you mean actions that place profit above people, then sure, he has done a lifetime of good deeds. But if we use the real definition of ‘good,’ and the real definition of ‘help,’ then David McKay should be the absolute last person to be appointed to the Order of Ontario. The fact that he received the award after such negligence towards global warming, and around the anniversary of the invasion of Wet’suwet’en nation by the RCMP, is appallingly shameful. 

To me, two truths are evident from the fact that McKay received this honour at this time: (1) he is scared, (2) the Order of Ontario is deeply corrupt. For the past four years, McKay has been under public scrutiny for his complicity in climate destruction and colonial violence. Several grassroots organisations have coalesced with the intent to publicly protest and disrupt his harmful agenda. I see this award as a strategic attempt to salvage McKay’s public image. I believe he is scared, and is counting on this PR move to drown out the bad press. But his plan failed: activists came like clockwork to protest him once again, this time at the doors of the ROM. 

In addition, the fact that McKay received the Order of Ontario shows that the award is a corrupt, archaic, and performative distinction. Twenty-four individuals were appointed the Order this year; among them are four university professors (including Payam Akhavan and Aimée Craft), a police chief (Nishan Duraiappah), a multidisciplinary Indigenous artist (Sandra Laronde), and, of course, David McKay. It is evident by this curiously varied list that the award may tokenize some of its appointees to cover up for others, and to portray themselves favourably. 

For example, Payam Akhavan is an Iranian-Canadian lawyer and professor at the University of Toronto, who has objected to the Islamic Republic’s human rights abuses in international courts. Another appointee, Aimée Craft, is a Anishinaabe-Métis lawyer and researcher at the University of Ottawa in Indigenous land and water governance. Here are two individuals truly worth celebrating. But why are they being awarded the Order of Ontario alongside McKay and Duraiappah? 

Rewarding them together assumes their contributions are equal in value. This is simply not the case. McKay is not contributing anything positive to Ontario in his role as CEO of RBC. In fact, he is directly destroying the province by continuing to fund fossil fuels and approving the invasion of unceded land. On the other hand, Akhavan and Craft are actively helping their communities in Ontario by centering justice, knowledge, activism, and environmentalism, among other things, in their work. 

Ms. Dowdeswell, does this not seem like a contradiction? I assume both Akhavan and Craft are very unhappy to know they are sharing their award with McKay, who is complicit in human rights and environmental abuses, the very things they have spent their lifetimes fighting against. Does this mean the appointment of Akhavan and Craft to the Order is merely a performative act, a tool to deflect attention away from the horrors committed by other appointees such as McKay and Duraiappah? Or is it genuine? Ms. Dowdeswell, what do you stand for? What does the Order of Ontario stand for? 

I’m sure whoever leaked confidential information about the awards ceremony to local climate justice activists has no regrets. The Order of Ontario must be protested. David McKay must be protested. It is appalling that among those receiving the highest honour in all of Ontario is a CEO who sanctions violence and exploitation. Ms. Dowdeswell, there is nothing here to be proud of.