conscient podcast

a calm presence - this moment in canadian culture

Episode Notes

this moment in canadian culture

reflections on conscient e214 roundtable – this moment in canadian culture 

Note: you can read the original posting on my a calm presence Substack here.

Also see the Transcript of this episode for the complete posting. 

Big thanks to all roundtable participants, Robin Sokoloski, Annette Hegel, Jai Djwa, Owais Lightwala, SGS, also known as Sarah Garton Stanley, Max Wyman and Chris Creighton-Kelly for taking the time to share their thoughts and to you for listening and considering what ‘this moment in canadian culture’ means to you. 

Episode Transcription

I was inspired by https://createcanada.ca, also Max Wyman’s Save the Arts, Blow Up the Old Ways, Kate Taylor’s article in the Globe, Controversy over lemmings painting exposes the real snowflakes at PEI veterinary college and finally an article by Shannon Litzenberger called Cultural Sovereignty Is a Creative Act. With all of this in mind I decided to invite arts leaders Robin Sokoloski, Annette Hegel, Jai Djwa, Owais Lightwala, SGS, also known as Sarah Garton Stanley, Max Wyman and Chris Creighton-Kellyto a special edition of a conscient roundtable on Saturday April 12th, 2025 in response to rising global tensions and a re-emerging sense of Canadian identity. 

I also wanted to have some fun talking about things we care about. 

You can listen to the entire unedited 76 minute conversation on the conscient podcast but in case you don’t get around to it, here is a summary (with due credit to the Whisper Transcribe AI blog tool who helped me craft a first draft but after that it’s all me).

Our conversation navigated a wide range of issues, from decolonization, regionalism, disconnection with nature, Canadian values to the role of art in building community and so on. Here are some examples: 

Robin Sokoloski

• … Art is in the relationship. … It's the experience, and I think that's what we need to remain curious about.

Chris Creighton-Kelly

• This is a moment for really slow thinking… We need to do in-reach to go into communities and listen to people. Go to where people are. 

Owais Lightwala

• Where are you finding joy right now in your life?

Max Wyman

• I think it’s about what the artist can do to find joy, help people find joy and meaning and grace and courage.

Annette Hegel

• We need to look at system change. We know we’re not going to end capitalism tomorrow.

Jai Djwa

• Seems like we're in that productive disruption phase right now and I say that in the idea that it could be productive because it can lead into a revisioning.

So what is this moment in canadian culture ?

Overall, the looming presence of the United States and its cultural influence sparked passionate discussions about the need for Canadians to redefine our identity and assert our cultural sovereignty.

For example, Owais Lightwala likened the present feeling to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, marked by ‘massive disruption and uncertainty’, while acknowledging the potential for transformative change can emerge from period of crisis such as this moment. 

Jai Djwa expressed concern about the expectation that artists should ‘unite Canadians’, especially during times of external pressure, emphasizing the value of first addressing internal issues, such as reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 

Chris Creighton-Kelly advocated for a deeper understanding of what it means to live together on the land now called Canada. 

Finally, Max Wyman framed this moment as an opportunity for the cultural community to seize the day and play a more central role in shaping a more meaningful and joyful society.

That notion of joy kept coming back.

I think it’s all of the above and much more. 

Some principles, strategies and actions to consider 

1. Resist the notion of a singular Canadian culture and celebrate the diversity of voices and perspectives
2. Focus on understanding the needs and perspectives of different communities
3. Avoid oversimplified either/or thinking and embrace complexity
4. Connect with the land and become stewards of the environment
5. Understand the history of colonialism and how it shapes the present
6. Resist the urge to rush to solutions and prioritize careful reflection
7. Recognize the superpower the arts have to bring to communities

I hear you. Who has time for yet more principles, strategies, actions, advice, leadership, climate warnings, all that?

I get it, but this is different and is worth taking the time. 

As our session was wrapping up, Annette Hegel paraphrased indigenous writer and broadcaster Jesse Wente this way: 

• You know, we are all feeling we're in, in the apocalypse right now. As an indigenous person, I can tell you we've lived the apocalypse for 500 years and it will get better. If you start looking at the arc of the seven generations and that you are in the moment right now where things are looking, that they're in complete collapse, the little things that you're doing now will have an effect 300-400 years down the road.

It’s an ongoing conversation. 

One good place to engage in this conversation is createcanada.ca which they define as : 

• a space for generating bold, actionable ideas that harness the power of culture to supercharge Canada in a rapidly changing world.

I don’t agree with everything that David Maggs, Owais Lightwala and SGS are proposing here – they present a wide range of ideas - but it sure feels good to read their weekly postings and respond. Thanks for that.

Big thanks to all roundtable participants for taking the time to share their thoughts and to you for listening and considering what ‘this moment in canadian culture’ means to you.