1,000 First Nations activists take part in ‘Idle No More’ protest in London

By Angela Mullins Metro London December 19 2012 

Beating drums, hurling insults at the Harper government, and gridlocking traffic, about a thousand First Nations people descended on London on Wednesday as part of a nationwide protest centred on treaty rights.

The activists paraded along Highway 401/402, Wellington Road and through downtown — the path their ancestors took to the Thames River — as police turned to Twitter urging patience from drivers.

Many wore red armbands and headbands during the four-hour, approximately 18-kilometre march, a sign of sovereignty, the protesters said. People chanted “Idle no more” — the phrase that’s become the grassroots campaign’s motto — as they neared the forks of the river for a rally.

“We’ve waited for things to happen. We haven’t made them happen,” Chippewa of the Thames First Nations Chief Joe Miskokomon said. “It’s time for the government to stand up and listen to us.”

Backers of the Idle No More movement say federal policies — specifically those in omnibus budget legislation, Bill C-45 — are weakening environmental laws and hurting aboriginal communities. First Nations should be recognized as sovereign stakeholders in decisions affecting land and resources, they claim.

“We are the government in this country, and (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper has to start recognizing that,” Glen Hare, the Anishinabek Nation’s deputy grand chief said Wednesday. “Harper has crossed the line.

“Don’t give Canada away and don’t sell us.”

Idle No More started in Saskatchewan, spreading across Canada and into the U.S. The first protests were launched Dec. 10 and this week’s efforts are expected to culminate with a Friday rally on Parliament Hill.

Some who participated in Wednesday’s march vowed support for Chief Theresa Spence of the Attawapiskat First Nation, who is entering the second week of a hunger strike, demanding more respect for First Nations’ concerns and treaties. The strike has sparked concerns in Ottawa with opposition parties calling on Harper to meet with aboriginal leaders.

Tensions between the First Nations and Harper’s government have been brewing for years and have reached a tipping point, some said Wednesday.

“We’ve been a very patient people,” said Tom Bressette, chief of the Kettle Point First Nation. “It’s (about) time our patience is running thin.”

Idle No More

The Idle No More manifesto claims Canada has become “one of the wealthiest countries in the world” on the backs of First Nations people.

“Some of the poorest First Nations communities (such as Attawapiskat) have mines or other developments on their land but do not get a share of the profit,” the manifesto reads “The taking of resources has left many lands and waters poisoned — the animals and plants are dying in many areas in Canada.”