The widespread notoriety and popularity of viral media are more than entertainment; it provides activists and filmmakers with a valuable forum to address critical issues and make real change. The same goes for the new documentary Whoa Canada, which scathingly and humorously examines the disastrous policies and practices of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
It all started with Shit Harper Did, aka SHD, a band of self-proclaimed digital pranksters determined to ruin Harper’s polished public image. Through viral videos and social media platforms, the SHD group has exposed many questionable and objectionable practices in the history of the Harper government and the country itself. Whoa Canada is the culmination of their documentary efforts during Harper’s re-election campaign.
One of the most egregious of these crimes involved an unprecedented government surveillance program. The film claims that the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) building, housed in the most expensive government structure in Canadian history, employs thousands of spies whose job it is to decipher online communications and eavesdrop on private phone conversations. Much of this surveillance, however, target ordinary citizens who are unafraid to speak the truth to those in power but who would otherwise pose no legitimate threat. Indeed, citizens who dare to protest state surveillance tactics are often the prime targets of the agency’s surveillance.
As the film demonstrates, Canada’s history of surveillance is nothing new; it dates back to the beginnings of the practice itself during the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s. The country’s oppression of women is matched only by its history of racial discrimination in the form of legal denial and election fraud.
SHD has assembled a large group of dedicated activists who crave a sense of ownership in how they are managed. Through their online campaigns and high-profile efforts in Whoa Canada, they uncover many aspects of government that those in power prefer to hide, laying the groundwork for a new Canada that adequately serves its interests and fully represents its citizens.
