Video: Naomi Klein, Chief Arthur Manuel, Avi Lewis on Canadian Movements

Check out these videos shot at some sort of festival in Vancouver. Journalist Avi Lewis is moderating a discussion between Chief Arthur Manuel of the Secwepemc Nation and writer Naomi Klein about social movements within the Canadian state. They cover issues such as the upsurge in visibility for Canadian movements in 2010, discussions about tactics, questions of alliance, and the tar sands. All of what they say is worth critical engagement. Some of what they say is great, some requires further critical reflection. I think the enthusiasm for the upsurge in activism in Canada in 2010 ignores to a certain extent the situation outside of the the three largest cities, for example, and I was troubled by Klein's repeated use of the metaphor of "insanity" to talk about capitalism. However, I thought her description of the current surge of frantic resource extraction efforts by states and corporations as a "final colonial pillage" was a great way to characterize what's going on. Anyway, have a watch and see for yourself!