“Vocal but not particularly strong”? Air Canada’s ill-fated vacation package to Rhodesia and South Africa and the anti-apartheid movement in Canada
| Published date | 01 September 2016 |
| Date | 01 September 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702016661184 |
| Author | Stephanie Bangarth |
| Subject Matter | Lessons of History |
International Journal
2016, Vol. 71(3) 488–497
!The Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702016661184
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Lessons of History
‘‘Vocal but not
particularly strong’’?
Air Canada’s ill-fated
vacation package
to Rhodesia and
South Africa and
the anti-apartheid
movement in Canada
Stephanie Bangarth
King’s University College, London, ON
Abstract
In mid-1971, an advertisement from Air Canada (then a Canadian Crown corporation)
and South African Airways appeared in the pages of the Globe and Mail, Canada’s
national newspaper. It offered prospective vacationers the chance of a lifetime: the
opportunity to tour the game parks of South Africa and Rhodesia, including the
famous Kruger National Park, with stays afterward in various African cities.
News of Air Canada’s ‘‘opportunity’’ was met with a great deal of controversy. Linda
Freeman has described anti-apartheid forces in the 1970s as ‘‘vocal, but not particularly
strong’’ and other scholars argue that Canadian policy toward South Africa did
not change substantially between 1961 and 1984. Still, this case study demonstrates
that despite the fact that no major Canadian economic, strategic, or political interest
was involved in South Africa and that while Canadian trade with South Africa during
the period in question was relatively marginal, the Canadian government gave the con-
cerns of those appalled at Air Canada’s intransigence some attention. More importantly,
so did Air Canada. Where government failed to act, public pressure forced a major
Canadian corporation to rethink its business practices to adhere to international human
rights norms.
Keywords
Air Canada, apartheid, international human rights, Canadian politics
Corresponding author:
Stephanie Bangarth, King’s University College, 266 Epworth Avenue, Room DL303, London, ON N6A
2M3, Canada.
Email: sbangar@uwo.ca
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