DCHP-2

Idle No More DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Aboriginal, especially First Nations

  a movement for indigenous sovereignty and land conservation.

  Type: 1. Origin — Idle No More was initially organized as a teach-in by four women (see the second 2013 quotation and Idle No More reference). The movement rapidly gained momentum with the help of social media and newsmedia, giving the term national recognition . On December 11, 2012, Attawapiskat chief Theresa Spence launched a 44-day hunger strike in an attempt to secure a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper (see the third 2012 quotation). Harper ultimately agreed to a meeting, but on terms that were deemed inappropriate by Spence and other Assembly of First Nations leaders. Chief Spence's hunger strike garnered widespread attention from Canadian newsmedia (see CTV News reference). Idle No More has spread to various locations, including the United States (see, e.g. the first 2012 quotation) and New Zealand, where some Maori groups have adopted the term. However, Idle No More remains most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1).

  See also: Assembly of First Nations  Oka ((2))  

  • 2012  When First Nations chiefs angry with the federal omnibus budget Bill C-45 scuffled briefly with RCMP on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, it certainly made for compelling images. It also raised some compelling questions. Are we seeing a renewed militancy in the aboriginal community? Is this a "tipping point" of sorts? What can we expect next? To me, the most interesting question is what was the catalyst for this showdown? It was actually a simple message, likely unintelligible unless you are an avid Twitter user: "Tweeting up on Sunday, December 2, the #IdleNoMore event in Alberta. Lets get it trending! Here is the FB event..." Not necessarily "I have a dream" type material, but significant in its own right. Tanya Kappo Tanya Kappo (@Nehiyawskwew) posted that on Nov. 30 to drum up support for an event she organized called "Idle No More." Her fellow organizers began using the "#idlenomore" hashtag (hashtags are Twitter's way of grouping messages together by topic) and so did their followers. 
  • 2012  The Idle No More movement rolling across the country started with a string of emails among four women from Saskatchewan. The four moved their conversations about their shared disappointment over federal legislation to a Face-book page created for a small rally at Station 20 West in Saskatoon. The four titled the page Idle No More as a motivational slogan, said Jessica Gordon, one of the local and national organizers. "We thought it would just be a planning group and we titled the page Idle No More as a way to get our butts off the couch to work on this," Gordon said in an interview. Gordon, along with Sheelah McLean, Sylvia McAdams and Nina Wilson, may have sparked the Idle No More campaign, but the grassroots movement has taken on a life of its own and spread across the country and beyond its borders with rallies involving thousands of people. Another event is scheduled for Friday in Saskatoon, the same day rallies will be held in Ottawa, L.A. and San Francisco. "This movement is really important and it's going to get stronger and better," Sheelah McLean said. Facebook and Twitter have helped spread the Idle No More movement and allowed organizers to maintain its grassroots beginnings, Gordon said. "Social media are pushing a lot of the issues," she said. "People are more aware of the legislation being pushed through undemocratically." The rallies and other events are focused on indigenous rights and environmental laws, specifically the proposed changes in the federal government's omnibus budget legislation Bill C-45. Supporters say the changes weaken environmental laws and were proposed without adequate consultation with First Nations. 
  • 2012  WINNIPEG - Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba's Cross Lake First Nation says an elder from the band is going to Ottawa to continue his hunger strike in solidarity with Chief Theresa Spence. Settee says he's accompanying Raymond Robinson, who began his hunger strike 10 hours after Spence launched hers nearly three weeks ago. The 51-year old is calling on Prime Minister Harper to withdraw the recent omnibus legislation, Bill C-45. Robinson says he'll continue his hunger strike until the prime minister and governor general meet with him and Spence. Settee says it's a sad day in Canada's history when First Nations people are ready to sacrifice their lives to get the government to work with First Nations leadership to recognize, respect and honour their treaty rights. A visibly weak Spence made a brief appearance on Sunday as a parade of politicians and protesters turned up the volume to demand action from the Harper government. She acknowledged the support of the growing Idle No More movement, which has held demonstrations in cities across Canada in recent weeks. Her teepee is situated on an island in the frozen Ottawa River looking up at Parliament Hill. 
  • 2013  Idle No More began with 4 women, Nina Wilson, Sheelah Mclean, Sylvia McAdam and Jessica Gordon, sharing a vision of bringing together all people to ensure we create ways of protecting Mother Earth, her lands, waters and people. The women began discussing the possible impacts that some of the legislation would carry if people do not do something. It became very evident that the women MUST do something about the colonial, unilateral and paternalistic legislation being pushed through the Government of Canada’s parliamentary system. They began with a piece of legislation called Bill C-45 which attacked the land base reserved for Indigenous people. The women decided that they would call a rally to inform the public that this bill intended to, without consent give the minister of indian affairs power to surrender the lands reserved. They felt that this would ultimately make room for oil, nuclear and gas industries to tear up the land for profit. From this rally they also informed the public on other legislation that affected and ignored the treaties made with the crown but also the waters, land and people that it would impact in very harmful ways. 
  • 2013  By the time they reached Parliament Hill on March 25, there were 300 walkers who had attracted a drumming and chanting crowd of 3,000. The event captivated the nation and capped a season-long resurgence of Idle No More, the protest movement that has infused aboriginal politics with a new sense of urgency. 
  • 2016  Yet in a political response to the Idle No More movement, then prime minister Stephen Harper's government mandated a 169th report through the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Of course, the government rhetoric was about raising the accountability of First Nations leaders to their people. How was this to be achieved? By requiring 581 First Nations to publicly post their audited financial statements and the salary information of the chief and council to the federal Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development website.