Anarchism in Canada spans a range ofanarchist philosophy includinganarchist communism,green anarchy,anarcho-syndicalism,individualist anarchism, as well as other lesser known forms. Canadian anarchism has been affected by thought fromGreat Britain, andcontinental Europe, although recent influences include a look at North Americanindigenism, especially on the West Coast. Contemporary anarchists remain a focal point in media coverage of globalization protests in Canada, mainly due to their confrontations with police and destruction of property.
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Historically, anarchism has never attracted large support in Canada, although small groups of activists and writers have often existed in many areas, especially in the larger cities. As well, 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.[1]Peter Kropotkin also arranged forDoukhobors (a sect of Russian Christians who refuse to acknowledge State authority) to settle in Saskatchewan and later B.C.[2][failed verification][more detail needed][obsolete source]
The Media Collective was a social group based in Toronto between 1994 and 1996 whose events includedguerrilla performances and free vegan meals fromFood Not Bombs. One of its splinter groups, TAO Communications ("The Anarchy Organization"), opposed transnationalneoliberalism andSilicon Valley views of capitalism by providing unionized communications service: both communication logistics during actions and reports on police.[3]
There are a variety of long-standing anarchist projects throughout Canada. Environmental and anti-povertydirect actionists can be found in many regions and cities,[4] along withmutual aid groups, prisoner solidarity groups, study groups, and cafes.
Related ventures include Montreal's Insoumise bookstore, which in 2004 supplanted the Alternative bookshop, an anarchist bookshop founded in the early 1970s; Ottawa'sExile Infoshop, founded early 2007; as well as numerous other bookstores,infoshops, publishing houses, zines and other publications, record labels, and radio shows and micro radio stations.[5][full citation needed] Canada is also home to a number ofanarchist book fairs and other festivals. In 2015, theVictoria Anarchist Book Fair celebrated its 10th anniversary.[6]Edmonton held an anarchist book fair from 2002 through 2013, inclusive;[7] it was resurrected in May 2015.[8] Similar fairs are held inMontréal,[9]Toronto,[10]Winnipeg,[11] and other locations throughout Canada.
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