Emerging Patterns of Civic Dissent and Diversity Social Movements in Canada and the US

• In Event: Protest, Advocacy, and Government Response

Abstract

Canada and the US have experienced a growing array of social protests, political dissent and discomfort, and challenges to traditional authority structures with many rooted in diversity issues associated with gender, race and identity. This paper highlights some recent (2019-2021) illustrative patterns of civic dissent in the two countries to conclude that there are significant differences that matter in social protests and in the state’s treatment of racial and identity communities in the two countries but also that there are disappointing similarities in the treatment of women. The salience of issues involving Indigenous peoples and the BIPOC community varies significantly in the two countries reflecting the different histories and legacies of past events. To reach these conclusions, we begin by anchoring the analysis in the tradition of protests and civil disobedience in Canada and the US and then answering the following research questions:
• Are the two countries experiencing civic dissent differently as suggested?
• What are the immediate state responses to challenges rooted in diversity and different ways of viewing legitimate authority?
• Are there any significant and sustaining differences or similarities manifested in policy responses to social movements?

Necessarily, this analysis is high level, focusing on key examples and then extrapolating broad patterns of dissent based on qualitative analysis of media reports, government documents and organizational data, and some limited quantitative data on protests. However, it is important because it provides a starting point for further analysis into the specifics of how race, diversity and gender affect civil society, dissent, political dialogue and state action in future work.

Authors

• Kathy Brock, Queen's University

• Andrea Migone, Ryerson